19 Year Hermilo Moralez In Custody Charged With Murder Of Classmate; Admits To Killing 18 Year Joshua Wilkerson; Dumped Body In Field And Proceeded To Burn It

Horrific news from Houston, the Chronicle reporting that 19 year old Hermilo Moralez has been arrested and charged with murder in the apparent bias-motivated beating death of 18 year old Josh Wilkerson, of Pearland, Texas. Moralez, identified as a person of interest earlier, told police Thursday that Wilkerson gave him a ride in his truck after school Tuesday, the day Josh disappeared. He admitted to attacking Wilkerson, but said it was because the teen made unwanted sexual advances. He beat the teen with a rod-like piece of wood, according to court documents that state “Hermilo said that had beaten Joshua pretty bad and he (was) bleeding from the nose and mouth.” Moralez said that he then drove off in the teen’s Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, leaving the teen behind. The body was found Wednesday in an overgrown field, and police became suspicious of Moralez after he was found loitering in an area near the abandoned truck. Initially, he gave police false information, and was later taken into custody, charged with failure to identify when investigators discovered his true identity. On Wednesday, he was taken in handcuffs to the field, and when one officer began climbing over a fence, Moralez attempted to grab his weapon, resulting in an additional charge. ABC-13 also reports that Moralez knew Wilkerson for approximately five years, the two were classmates, and that Wilkerson often gave him rides. They add that according to court documents Moralez said after killing Wilkerson, he drove the body to the field, and burned the body. He then drove the truck to the parking lot of nearby mall, disposing of the teen’s backpack and shoes in a dumpster. He remains in custody, currently charged with murder, for which no bond has been set.