TEXAS: Possible Gay Panic Defense In Murder Of 18 Year-Old Student

Texas police have charged a 19 year-old student with murder after he led investigators to the beaten and burned body of 18 year-old fellow student Joshua Wilkerson (left). The suspect claims the pair fought after Wilkerson made sexual advances on him.

The suspect, identified as Hermillo Moralez, beat Joshua Wilkerson to death with a large wooden object sometime Tuesday afternoon, according to court records from Brazoria County. The 19-year-old then burned the teenager's body. Moralez told investigators Wilkerson gave him a ride in his truck after school and sometime later, the victim "began to come on to him in a sexual manner," according to a probable cause document. Moralez said he hit Wilkerson and the two got out of his truck and fought. Moralez was previously a person of interest in the investigation when he was seen loitering in the area of Joshua Wilkerson's abandoned vehicle, according to a Pearland Police Department statement.

According to a local ABC station, after a handcuffed Moralez led police to Wilkerson's body, he attempted to pull a detective's gun from its holster and make an escape. Those two felonies will be added to the murder charges. He is being held without bond. News reports have not speculated as to whether Wilkerson was gay.

(Tipped by JMG reader Tarick)