The boyfriend of a woman found hanging from a scaffolding in Texas has been arrested after giving an interview in which he appeared to cry without shedding any tears.
James Hart, 51, has been charged with tampering with or falsifying physical evidence with intent to harm a human corpse, according to a report I LOVE.
On May 31, police found the body of 30-year-old Giselle Salazar-Tapia on a boat at the Wharf Marina in Clear Lake.
Hart was arrested Thursday at the marina and remains in custody on $80,000 bail.
The boyfriend of a woman found hanging from a Texas dock has been arrested after giving an interview in which he appeared to sob without shedding tears
In June, he told KHOU 11 News that he lived with Salazar and that her death was “the worst thing that ever happened to him.”
James Hart, 51, is charged with tampering with or falsifying physical evidence with intent to harm a human corpse
“It feels like a nightmare you can’t wake up from,” Hart said as he sobbed as he denied having anything to do with her death.
“I had nothing to do with it and I never would have. I loved Giselle more than anything in the world. We were together 24/7.”
According to police, Hart was devastated by the news and initially refused to get out of the boat to see for himself.
Investigators believe the mother of four’s body was placed in a way that made it look like she had died somewhere else. They believe she was then moved and staged to look like a suicide.
Her body was discovered by her neighbor, Christian Allen, who found Tapia-Salazar half submerged in water. He pointed out that one of her arms was twisted in an unusual position.
Hart said in June that he had lived with Salazar and that her death was “the worst thing that ever happened to him.”
The victim’s body was discovered by her neighbor, Christian Allen, who found Tapia-Salazar half-submerged in water. He pointed out that one of her arms was twisted in an unusual position.
After further investigation, investigators believe that the 30-year-old woman’s body was hanging from the scaffolding in a manner that made it appear she had committed suicide and that the suspect staged her suicide.
“Because of the position of her arm, we believe she likely died somewhere else,” League City Police Lt. Eric Cox told KHOU. “She went into rigor mortis and when she was moved, her arms stayed in that position.”
According to police, Salazar was last seen alive on her boyfriend’s boat around 1:30 a.m. the day her body was found.
Officials had previously responded to disturbances at Hart’s home.
The Galveston County coroner has not yet released a toxicology report on Salazar.
The investigation is still ongoing.
