LOVERS' QUARREL

Texas Man Beats His Teen Boyfriend To Death, Strangles His Dog

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Canchola (left) and Sylvester (right)

A Texas man is charged with first-degree murder after beating his boyfriend to death.

Twenty-year-old Bryan Canchola and his boyfriend 18-year-old Stephen Sylvester got into a fight at their apartment in Austin after returning home from a night of drinking on Friday.

Their roommate told police that he awoke to hear the couple arguing in their bedroom shortly after 4 a.m. He described “banging and violent crashing” and the sound of a dog yelping in pain.

Related: Kisses From A Fist: Why Abuse In Queer Relationships Must End Now

“Why would you cheat on me?” Canchola allegedly screamed, to which Sylvester replied, “Let the dog go!”

The roommate pushed his way into the couple’s room where he witnessed Canchola, who he described as looking “extremely intoxicated,” punching Sylvester in the face and throwing a heavy glass and beer bottles at him. Blood was splattered all over the walls.

The roommate broke up the fight and drove Sylvester to the ER, but he returned home before being seen by a doctor.

At 5:15 a.m., Canchola called police to report his boyfriend was unconscious. When police arrived, Canchola had blood on his lips, hands and feet. Officers also noted that there was a “considerable lack of blood on Sylvester which suggested to him that the body may have been cleaned prior to his arrival.”

An autopsy found that Sylvester suffered signs of strangulation, a neck fracture and bleeding of the brain. The dog, too, showed indicative of strangulation.

Canchola is currently being held on a $500,000 bond.

Related: STUDY: Is Domestic Violence On The Rise Among LGBTs—Or Is Reporting Just Better?

h/t: GayStarNews

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