Search warrants detail 'El Gallito' murder case, defense motions to suppress

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Search warrants provided a detailed timeline in the death of a prominent Valley attorney. Four years after his body was recovered, the suspect's defense team claims the warrants were executed unlawfully.

Salomon "Sonny" Campos Jr. is set to go to trial this fall in the capital murder case of his uncle, Ernesto Gonzales, a well-known Valley criminal defense attorney who went by the nickname "El Gallito."

On June 19, Salomon's defense team filed a supplemental motion to suppress evidence, stating that law enforcement unlawfully searched his property on June 22, 2020, which resulted in the recovery of Gonzales' remains.

Background

A Texas Rangers search warrant, obtained by ValleyCentral, stated that Gonzales and his family were having issues after a death in the family.

Prior to his disappearance, Gonzales had accused his sister Mary Ann Villafana of fraudulent manipulations of funds for the care she was reporting for their mother. Villafana told police she believed her brother was on drugs after he made the allegations. Villafana tasked her nephew Salomon with following Gonzales around to see if he was taking drugs, the warrant stated.

On June 28, 2017, Gonzales was assaulted in the parking lot of a funeral home by two men, the affidavit alleges. It is unknown who assaulted Gonzales, but shortly after he prepared two protective orders for himself and his sister Alice Campos.

On July 18, 2017, Gonzales was reported missing by his sister, Alice, who told police she and her brother had planned on meeting at his law office. When he never showed, she began to worry.

Texas Rangers search warrant

An affidavit for a search and seizure warrant from the Texas Rangers states that it was believed Salomon had possession and was concealing Gonzales' body, clothing and identification.

The document states that Gonzales had activated his "Timeline," an account on his phone which documented every location his phone may have been. This information was given to the FBI, which created a timeline of his whereabouts.

The timeline for July 18, 2017 shows the phone left his home at 3:34 a.m. and arrived at Whataburger on 1605 W. Harrison in Harlingen at 3:45 a.m.

At 4:59 a.m., the phone left Whataburger.

At 5:05 a.m., the phone arrived at his law office and received a Facebook message at 5:21 a.m. before leaving 15 minutes later.

At 5:44 a.m., it arrived at Salomon' home on S. Vista Del Sol and left four minutes later.

At 6:12 a.m., the phone arrived at the goat farm that Salomon owned on Kansas City Road, before leaving at 6:20 a.m. and returning to the law office again at 6:31 a.m.

At 6:45 a.m., the phone arrived at Gonzales' brother's home on Wilcox Road in Harlingen, where it ultimately died at 10:02 a.m.

Salomon was interviewed by police in 2018, where he denied seeing Gonzales that July day, but acknowledged he was requested to stalk Gonzales.

In 2019, police spoke with a woman who said that Salomon showed her a black box with a magnet that could be used to track Gonzales' vehicle after it was placed underneath.

A month later, investigators received an email from a company named Spy-Tec following a subpoena of records belonging to Salomon. The email showed that Salomon created an account with Spy-Tech in 2017 and had purchased a GPS tracking device which was mailed to his home. Salomon also purchased a month's service for the GPS tracking device. On the day Gonzales' phone had died, Salomon contacted Spy-Tec and cancelled the GPS tracking service, the document stated.

In May 2020, investigators spoke with Villafana who allegedly tasked Salomon with following Gonzales. She said that she never paid Salomon a penny to follow him around, and that he had already been doing it.

On June 22, 2020, law enforcement executed the search warrant at the property on 25950 Kansas City Road in Cameron County, a goat farm that Salomon owned. An inventory document shows that authorities recovered Gonzales' remains, a black comb, a cloth bag, a chain, black tape, a rock with hair, square stained cloth, fragment of pants, fragments of underwear, a white shirt, bricks and socks.

Harlingen PD search warrant

An affidavit for a search and seizure warrant by a Harlingen Police Department detective stated that on the day Gonzales was reported missing, his cellphone was tracked at the goat farm.

The document stated that a preliminary search was conducted with search dogs, but they were unable to get an accurate scent "due to the birth of recent farm animals."

"The suspected place was believed to be in the care, and control of Salomon Campos Jr. and I do believe that Ernesto Gonzales may be secreted at the suspected place," the affidavit for the search warrant stated.

Motion to suppress

Last week, the defense motioned to suppress all the evidence, materials and statements gathered by the Harlingen Police Department, Texas Rangers, Cameron County Sheriff's Office or other law enforcement on June 22, 2020.

The motion claims that the search was based on an 11-page, un-numbered search warrant premised on "misleading statements" that probable cause existed.

In the motion, the defense asks the court to suppress all of the evidence, including Gonzales' remains, his GPS coordinates, cell tower information and his bank account information.

Records show that a motion hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning with a jury trial on Sept. 23.