Steve Rocco appears in a booking photo in March 2024 (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)
A Texas man with a criminal record allegedly touted his time behind bars when killing another man last month, authorities say.
Steve Gonzales Rocco, 65, stands accused of one count of murder, according to the San Antonio Police Department.
According to an affidavit for an arrest warrant obtained by Law&Crime, Rocco allegedly shot and killed Darryl Glynn Byrd, 60, during an argument over a woman at an apartment on March 23.
“I’ve done 30 years,” the defendant allegedly told the victim before the fatal shots were fired. “I’m not afraid of doing it again.”
The incident occurred at a residence on East Southcross Boulevard. By the time officers responded to multiple calls about the in-progress shooting, Byrd was dead, and his assailant was long gone, police say.
“The victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest,” the arrest warrant affidavit reads. “There were apparent shell casings found inside the apartment near the victim.”
Two witnesses at the scene allegedly gave “limited statements to detectives,” police say. Meanwhile, a third witness — who said they had been at the apartment earlier in the day but left before the violence — identified a fourth witness who would prove pivotal in the case.
As investigators tried to ferret out the fourth witness with a photo distributed to patrol officers, “multiple tips” about the crime came rolling in that identified Rocco as the shooter, police allege.
“One tipster who has been identified provided a brief statement over the phone that she saw the suspect go into the apartment, heard the shots, then saw the suspect flee on foot holding a firearm in his hand,” the arrest warrant affidavit reads.
Various witnesses said Rocco and Byrd were arguing over the woman in question. No witnesses have been identified by name.
On March 30, the elusive fourth witness was located and allegedly relayed the following version of the story: Rocco showed up at the apartment unannounced, knocked on the door, entered, and immediately began to quarrel with Byrd about taking the unidentified woman “out for the night,” according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
“The suspect had a gun in a holster and began motioning for it as the argument escalated,” the document reads. “The victim was unarmed and put his hands up. The suspect shot the victim a total of five times in close range.”
As the flurry of shots rang out, according to the fourth witness, Rocco made the sanguine statement about heading back to prison.
Byrd died from multiple gunshot wounds to his head and chest, police say.
According to the fourth witness, the woman being argued over “had no expression on her face” as the victim died and the suspect fled; another witness in the apartment stood still in the kitchen as the fourth witness also took the opportunity to leave the bloody scene.
The defendant was arrested and booked on Sunday into the Bexar County Jail on $150,000 bail.
According to the San Antonio Express-News, Rocco’s criminal charges date back to 1983. An indictment in the case is pending.
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