Become an Apple Subscriber or Patron to listen.
Before suddenly vanishing, 21-year-old Breanna Wood was a kind, compassionate woman who loved deeply. She was a daughter, a sister & a friend who had her whole life in front of her. The last time anyone saw Breanna was at a convenience store in Corpus Christi, Texas on October 11, 2016. When her friends & family were unable to reach her after this point, they knew in their hearts that something must be terribly wrong since she was always in close communication.
What began as a missing person case would soon unravel into one of the most disturbing & brutal crimes that the city of Corpus Christi, Texas had ever seen.
October 11, 2016 began as a normal day with Breanna going to work. Afterwards, she headed back to her apartment until she got a phone call from her ex-boyfriend, 27-year-old Joseph Tejeda, who asked her to meet up with him. The last time anyone saw Breanna was that night when she was at a PMI convenience store at the intersection of Tancahua Street & Hancock Avenue with Tejeda. Her last known contact with anyone was later that evening at about 10 pm when she texted her mom to let her know that she was heading home.
Breanna Colleen Wood was born on March 8, 1995 in Las Vegas, Nevada to parents Fallon Wood & Arthur Sewall. In 2012, when Breanna was 17, she, her mom & her brother, Keegan, relocated to Corpus Christi, a city along the Gulf of Mexico, 136 miles south of San Antonio. She loved animals & had a special bond with her dog, Shay & her cat, Kitty. She adored pizza & shopping & if anyone ever asked her what she wanted to eat, her answer was always the same, pizza! She was a lovely young woman who brightened everyone’s lives with her smile. In addition to her brother Keegan, she also had two sisters, Ashley & Alex Sewall.
At 21-years-old, Breanna was an independent young woman who was working & living on her own, but still maintained close contact with her family. She often sent her mom sweet text messages, reminding her how special she was & how lucky Breanna felt to have her.
The full extent of Breanna’s relationship with 27-year-old Joseph Tejeda is unclear, but they often broke up & got back together & as of October 2016, they were no longer dating. Joseph Tejeda was born on December 13, 1990; he was a violent man who lived a life of crime & had gang affiliations. Breanna, being the type of girl who managed to see the best in everyone, likely held out hope that she would be able to change Tejeda’s ways.
Breanna was reported missing by her mom one week later on October 18, 2016 & an investigation began. Normally Fallon communicated with her daughter on a daily basis, but since the 11th, she hadn’t heard from her. Authorities quickly determined that her phone had been turned off & it appeared that she hadn’t returned to her apartment despite the fact that when she last communicated with her mom, she indicated that she was on her way home.
Her apartment showed no signs of a struggle or foul play. Breanna’s cat, who she adored, had been left alone at her apartment, something she would have never willingly done. Since all of Breanna’s belongings had been left behind, investigators quickly determined that she had likely not gone anywhere on her own accord.
On October 20, investigators turned to the media in hopes of generating leads & bringing attention to Breanna’s case. That same day, her ex, Joseph Tejeda, was arrested on unrelated charges of burglary. While he was in custody, he was questioned about Breanna, but he only told officers that he had no idea where she was. After five days in jail, he bonded out, once again, a free man.
Breanna’s photo was posted all around town, on social media, in newspapers & on TV with her description; she stood 5’5” weighing 100# with black hair & green eyes, yet no one came forward regarding her whereabouts.
By October 25, when she still hadn’t returned, her family held a candlelight vigil, hoping & praying for her safe return. They also started a gofundme page so they would have the resources to begin their own investigation.
On November 30, police released surveillance footage of a woman who closely resembled Breanna walking into a nearby pawn shop. The footage was dated from October 17, six days after she was last seen & one day before she was reported missing. When the woman entered the store, she utilized Breanna’s ID. However, when investigators tracked her down, they realized that the ID hadn’t been stolen & Breanna often allowed this woman, who was a friend, to utilize her ID before she went missing. After she was questioned, she was excluded as a suspect.
Breanna’s whereabouts were unknown for nearly three months until January 2, 2017, when a Nueces County jail inmate contacted police & told them that he knew where her remains could be found. He explained that he had no idea what led to Branna’s death, but he had been paid $500 to help hide her body on an abandoned property.
The following day, on January 3, the inmate accompanied investigators to the location in question. They located Breanna’s body in a rural area near an abandoned oilfield trailer on a property in Flour Bluff, Corpus Christi, that had sat empty for years. The property was surrounded by brush & her body had been stuffed into a box that was 18 inches by 18 inches by 24 inches that had been covered by a white sheet & sealed with duct tape. Once the box was opened, investigators saw that her body had been wrapped in heavy plastic.
After her body was transported to a medical examiner, it was confirmed that the remains were that of Breanna.
One day later on January 4, an inmate from the same jail reached out to investigators to share some highly disturbing information. While Joseph Tejeda had been incarcerated on burglary charges, he bragged to his cellmate that he was responsible for murdering his ex-girlfriend, Breanna. He went on to say that while they were at his apartment together, one that was just across from where Breanna had been last seen at the PMI convenience store, he shot her in the back of the head. He then broke both of her arms & violated her corpse. He boasted that her body was hidden in a place where it would never be found.
The cellmate initially thought that Tejada was making the story up to sound tough so he never came forward at the time, but when he saw news coverage that Breanna’s body had been found, he realized he had been telling the truth. The inmate’s account of Tejada’s story matched what the medical examiner found during the autopsy, details that had not been released to the public. Just as he’d told investigators, Breanna had been shot in the back of the head, her arms had been broken & her remains had been sexually assaulted. The medical examiner, Dr. Adel Shaker, said that it was possible that she was killed sometime between October 11 & October 18, 2016 based on the extent of decomposition.
Five days later, on January 9, 2017, Joseph Tejeda was arrested & charged with Breanna’s murder. Breanna’s mom, Fallon, expressed her elation on Facebook where she wrote, I have waited 450 days for today. I can smile up to my daughter & tell her.. I promised you, baby I would get them, get them all. I know this won’t bring you back to me.. But you are the angel that will save another mother from ever hurting & justice for everyone they have ever hurt… Love you more Bre Bre always.
When he appeared in court the following day, Tejeda arrogantly flipped his middle fingers up to members of the media while he blew a kiss in the direction of a female who stood in the gallery.
In March 2017, a grand jury indicted Tejeda for first-degree murder. Because the case was under a gag order, many of the details were unknown.
It’s unclear what the motive for killing Breanna was, but the prosecution initially theorized it was an organized conspiracy or a form of payment for other crimes Tejeda committed with the idea of, A life for a life. Breanna’s family was relieved to hear that the prosecution planned to seek the death penalty for her murder. However, mostly due to the COVID pandemic, it would be years before her loved ones would see justice.
Tejeda himself was also a large cause of delays as he continuously changed representation & claimed that he refused to take a plea deal, saying that he wished to go to trial. He also requested that before his trial begin, he be given the opportunity to have the facial tattoos to his hairline, above each eyebrow as well as on his left cheek & chin removed. Not only was this request denied, but as was his request to lower his $1 million bond.
In addition to the capital murder indictment, Tejeda was also charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, tampering with physical evidence & abuse of a corpse.
Altogether, seven people were charged in Breanna’s murder & in 2018, Tejeda & the other suspects were brought to a hearing to enter their pleas of not guilty.
Not only was Tejeda charged with capital murder, but as were two others, 42-year-old Sandra Vasquez & 28-year-old Christopher Gonzalez after it was alleged that they were the masterminds behind Breanna’s murder, threatening Tejeda that if he didn’t kill Breanna, they would kill him.
Tejeda’s mother, 47-year-old Rosalina Musella, was one of the seven people who were arrested in connection to Breanna’s case. According to the prosecution, Rosalina Musella helped her son in the aftermath of Breanna’s murder by renting a U-Haul truck to move her body. However, she denied these allegations, claiming that she rented the truck for her son so he could move out of the apartment he was in. In the end, the case against her ended up being dismissed.
In October 2018, Tejeda was offered a plea deal if he agreed to testify against his co-defendants. He agreed to testify against his former associates & for his part in the conspiracy to commit murder, he received ten years.
His capital murder charge was delayed until April 2022, 5 ½ years after Breanna’s murder.
However, before the trial began, a scandal erupted when the district attorney asked to be recused from the case entirely after it was discovered that Breanna’s mother had been granted access to the case files.
When word got out that Fallon Wood was given access to the files, Tejeda’s defense attorneys tried to get the case thrown out. According to Fallon, when she was approached by Nueces County First Assistant DA, Angelica Hernandez, to assist in sorting through pre-trial evidence, she jumped at the chance to help because she wanted to finally see someone pay for her daughter’s death. She had no idea that what she’d been asked could have had the opposite effect as she was never told it could jeopardize the case.
According to Fallon, after she was contacted by Hernandez in 2021, she worked in a small room at the DA’s office, sorting & arranging boxes of evidence. Hernandez had made copies of video interviews, something that Fallon was allowed to take home. She was also given access to evidence photos that depicted images of her daughter’s body, something that has haunted her since. She indicated that these images swirl through her mind each night when she closes her eyes to go to sleep.
According to a San Antonio-based trial attorney, people who are closely related to victims or suspects should never have access to files, something that could lead to tampering with evidence.
After the DA’s office asked to recuse itself in 2021, a new judge, Manuel Banales, was appointed in January 2022. He ruled that although the case had been mishandled, it would not be thrown out.
In August 2023, nearly seven years after her death, Breanna’s family were told that Tejeda took a plea deal for 25 years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea for the capital murder charge. The agreement includes 20 years for burglary & 20 years for assault of a public servant on top of the 25 years for the murder charge. These sentences will run concurrently & he also received credit for time already served. This means that he could spend as little as 18 years in prison.
In addition to Tejeda, his mother, Sandra Vasquez & Christopher Gonzalez, three others were also charged for their involvement.
Sandra Vasquez ended up being the final defendant charged in the killing of Breanna Wood. According to her plea agreement, she will serve 15 years for robbery, 2 years for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, 10 years for fraudulent use of identifying information & 15 years for engaging in organized criminal activity with the underlying offense of murder. These sentences will run concurrently & she will receive credit for time served & she will likely spend less than ten years behind bars.
28-year-old Christopher Gonzalez pleaded guilty to engaging in organized criminal activity in 2018, allowing the capital murder charges to be dropped. Although he was not present when Breanna was murdered, he had crucial information & agreed to testify against Tejeda & Sandra Vasquez. He will serve 10 years in prison.
37-year-old Gregorio Cruz, who dumped Breanna’s body, pleaded guilty for tampering with physical evidence & will serve 8 years in prison. 33-year-old Magdalena Carvajal pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence & received a ten year sentence. 65-year-old Ted Allen was charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, but died of natural causes in August 2020 while awaiting trial.
To those who knew 21-year-old Breanna Wood best, described her as fierce, funny & full of life. She was a daughter, a friend & a young woman who had her entire life ahead of her. Her story isn’t just about the cruelty that she suffered but about the life that was taken from her & the people who will carry that loss forever.
References:
- Find a Grave: Breanna Colleen Wood
- My SA: Report: Corpus Christi capital murder suspect wants facial tattoos removed before trial
- KRIS 6 News: Breanna Wood’s mom allegedly given improper access to daughter’s murder evidence
- KRIS 6 News: Joseph Tejeda pleads guilty to murder of Breanna Wood
- Medium: Long serving inmate boasts about killing his ex-girlfriend to his cell mate
- KRIS 6 News: Man who dumped body of missing woman takes plea deal
- KRIS 6 News: Guilty: Final defendant in Breanna Wood case enters plea
- 3 News: Plea agreement closes the book on Tejeda case
- Our Black Girls: Breanna Wood: Seven people face charges for her murder
- YouTube: Christina Randall: Evil Monster! The sick & twisted ways of Joseph Tejeda – Case of Breanna Wood
- Wikipedia: Corpus Christi Bay
- YouTube: Truth4 reality: The story of Breanna Wood
