Two teenage brothers are being held in the tragic strangling death of a Las Vegas high school choir teacher. They claim he did it because the teacher, Matthew Cox, who was found dead on a couch with a blanket over his head by a friend who was there to check on his pets because Cox was supposed to have returned home for Christmas, made inappropriate sexual advances. However, the teens also stole electronics from the victim:
KTNV Vegas: “A Henderson Police report says 17-year-old Juan Aguirre told them Cox started to get sexual in the hours before the alleged murder. Aguirre’s 18-year-old brother, Jose Delatorre, also arrested in the death of the Basic High music teacher. According to that report, the teens were getting a ride home from Matthew Cox. When Cox pulled up to their mother’s apartment, the report says both boys strangled Cox for approximately 10 minutes. ‘It’s not fair, they took his life like this,’ said [Cox’s mother Debra] Armstrong, as she was packing up the rest of her son’s belongings at his Henderson apartment. It was at that same apartment, that police say these two brothers dumped Cox’s body before stealing electronics. The mother of both suspects is accused of helping them abandon Cox’s car at a nearby casino. ‘Never in a million year would my son have done anything with this kid. They robbed him. Why couldn’t they have waited until he came home for Christmas,’ said Armstrong. Also mentioned in the police report, is a statement from one of Cox’s friends. She tells police, that Aguirre recently told Cox he was gay. The report also states that Cox told his friend, if he weren’t a teacher, he would have pursued a relationship with Aguirre. Meanwhile, Cox’s mother says, she has no doubt her son mentored Aguirre outside of the classroom. In fact, she says he told her he spent time with the 17-year-old and was trying to help the teen through troubled times. ‘He just wanted to help, help straighten kids out. God will come through for Matthew,’ she said.”
MSNBC: “When Cox drove the two boys home, he parked in front of their house. There, Jose reportedly hit Cox on the right side of the head and Juan began to choke him. The boys say they held Cox for about 10 minutes before he stopped moving. The boys say they bound Cox’s hands and feet with a tie before Jose drove them back to Cox’s house, where the two teens stole his electronics. The brothers left Cox’s dead body on his couch and Juan says he kissed his teacher’s cheek before they left. The teens say they didn’t mean to hurt him, they just wanted to rob Cox.”
Watch the video report HERE.
Matthew Cox’s mother says suspects are trying to justify son’s murder [ktnv]
Cops: Vegas teen kissed teacher after killing him [mercury news]
