GRAPEVINE, Texas — A man has been arrested and charged with murder after a woman's body was found at Grapevine Lake, police announced Sunday.
Police said they arrested Daniel Burch, 35, for his alleged role in the "violent death" of Jennifer Holmes, who was also identified on Sunday.
Police responded to Grapevine Lake around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 6, after a witness reported seeing a body near a spillway on the side of the dam. Crews recovered the body and "discovered signs of trauma inconsistent with drowning."
After the body was identified as Holmes, police said they interviewed Burch, who was living with the victim at the time. Police described their relationship as "close friends."
According to police, Burch told detectives that the two were on the way to the lake in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 5, when they got into an argument.
According to the arrest affidavit, Burch said he drove Holmes to the lake "in hopes of calming her down" after they left a neighbor's home due to Holmes "causing problems" while she had been drinking.
The affidavit said Burch told detectives that Holmes was screaming and throwing things inside of his car and when he turned the vehicle onto Fairway right before the dam, Holmes exited the car.
Burch said he got of the vehicle with his handgun to try and persuade Holmes back inside his car, but she pushed him. That's when Burch shot her two to four times, the affidavit said.
A witness told police that he heard gunshots at about 2:35 a.m. near his trailer and when he exited the trailer, he saw a man getting into a two-door white vehicle and driving away.
Burch told detectives that he placed Holmes' body back inside of his car, drove down the spillway and carried Holmes' body down to the water. Burch said the handgun and Holmes' cellphone were still in his car, where investigators found them after Burch admitted to it in custody.
Police also said detectives found evidence such as shell casings about a mile from where Holmes' body was found.
Burch was booked into Tarrant County Jail on a first degree murder charge, with a bond set at $150,000.
"The thorough and extensive search by detectives, patrol officers and crime scene investigators in this case demonstrates the high level of dedication and compassion Grapevine officers and personnel have for the community and victims of crime," police said in a news release.