Texas Man Lied To Police About How A Mother Of Two Died. Authorities Quickly Figured Out He Was The Killer.

A Texas man gunned down a mother of two before claiming the woman took her own life. Now, he'll spend more than three decades in prison.

Catalino Castillo Marin Jr., 23, of Tyler, Texas, was sentenced to 33 years in prison for the killing of 21-year-old mother of two Diamond Samantha Cruz in 2020, according to KETK.

Despite initially telling police that the woman had shot herself during a fight over the gun, which police found inconsistent with a self-inflicted gunshot, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph, Marin pleaded guilty to the murder.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported that Marin led police on a manhunt after taking off in his pickup truck following the shooting. He wound up flipping his car on its side before running from police.

Marin later turned himself in to police.

KETK reported that, according to court documents, a .40 caliber gun was located near Cruz's body after the incident along with “spent casings and unfired rounds.”

According to KETK, a witness told police that Marin showed up at her home "with blood on his hands, stating he and the victim, Diamond Samantha Cruz, were fighting over the gun when she shot herself and stated ‘he did not mean to do it."

After Marin turned himself in, he gave conflicting stories about what happened, according to KETK. Detectives noted that Marin "showed no apparent signs of remorse or concern toward Cruz.”

The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported that Cruz's mother, Dalila Lopez Morales, described her daughter as a mother who would do anything for her children, 3-year-old Adali and 2-year-old Nathaniel.

According to the Tyler Morning Telegraph, Marin referred to Cruz as "the body" or "it" during an interview.