Background: House where Tomas Calavera Jr. was found dead (KSAT). Faith Paige Goynes (Calhoun County Adult Detention Center).
A Texas woman was charged with the murder of her common-law husband after police said she set his truck on fire then tried to escape in a kayak.
Faith Paige Goynes, 40, was being held at the Calhoun County Adult Detention Center after being arrested on Dec. 23. An investigation that spanned two counties determined that Goynes was the main suspect in the death of her common-law husband, Tomas Calavera Jr., 30, who was found in a closet with a fatal gunshot wound to the face, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by San Antonio ABC affiliate KSAT
Calavera was found dead on Monday when officers with the Bandera County Sheriff’s Office reportedly did a welfare check at the home at the request of Calhoun County officials who were looking for the alleged victim.
Calhoun County deputies reportedly stated that Goynes became the target of their investigation after she lit a 2024 GMC pickup truck — which belonged to Calavera — on fire near Port O’Connor, which is about 150 miles east of San Antonio, Texas. A witness saw Goynes extinguishing herself as she walked away from the truck, the arrest affidavit reportedly states. A gas can and lighter were found near the vehicle.
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Goynes was then found by deputies and an officer from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as she allegedly attempted to paddle away from the area in a kayak. Police said that Goynes had burn injuries to her hand and had Calvera’s ID in her possession.
The affidavit reportedly stated that Goynes told police that she shot Calavera, with whom she shares a child, and set his truck on fire. She was charged with one count of murder (in Bexar County, where Calvera’s home was located) and one count of arson causing serious bodily injury or death. No bond information was available.
