'I Don't Want To Die!' Teen's Brutal Rape & Murder Captured On Cell Phone
Jun. 2 2016, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Karen Perez, a South Houston High School freshman, was discovered dead late Monday night, stuffed into a cabinet under a sink inside an abandoned apartment building.
According to court documents, when Karen initially went missing, her family told police go to her 15-year-old boyfriend's house. The teen's dad later contacted authorities, suspecting his son's guilt after he allegedly told him to stop searching for Karen because she "wasn't alive."
Police discovered text messages on the boyfriend's phone, demanding that Karen, also 15, skip school last Friday, and meet up with him — or he would kill her, prosecutors say.
Surveillance video captured at a local restaurant shows Karen and her boyfriend, the last time she was seen alive.
Later, Karen's boyfriend allegedly lured her to an abandoned apartment building nearby.
Cell phone video footage recovered from the boy's phone revealed Karen's last moments before death. Though the clip was black, audio clearly captures the teen raping Karen, calling her by name.
When she refused to have sex, the boyfriend audibly began choking her. Investigators say Karen can be heard crying out: "I don't want to die."
The boyfriend, who has since been charged with murder, is scheduled to appear in juvenile court today, June 2.