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Man arrested, charged for murder of Austinite whose body was found in apartment garage

TCSO said Thursday that even though Neal was found near Pflugerville, further investigation revealed that his murder took place in Taylor, Texas.

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — The Travis County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) announced Thursday that John Paul Rangel, 23, was arrested and charged for the murder of a 36-year-old Austin man. 

Joseph Neal of Austin was found dead inside a vehicle in a garage in the Wells Branch neighborhood near Pflugerville in December 2021 after officials received a check welfare call. TCSO said Thursday that even though Neal was found in Pflugerville, further investigation revealed that his murder took place in Taylor, Texas. 

At around 11 a.m. on Dec. 8, the Travis County Sheriff's Office was called to an apartment complex in the 1800 block of Cheddar Loop near the Best Western off of Interstate 35. When deputies got there, they found Neal's body in a vehicle in the garage.

Neal died from gunshot wounds, police said. Officials said evidence on scene indicated the gunshot was not self-inflicted.

Detectives got into the man's apartment later that evening and found evidence that he was killed. Police said back in December that they believed the man and his killer knew each other, and believe there was no danger to the public.

Rangel was arrested and is now in custody in Williamson County, TCSO officials said Thursday.

TCSO said it remains the investigating agency on this case and is grateful to Taylor Police Department, Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and the Williamson County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance.

This is the 10th homicide of the year the Travis County Sheriff's Office is working. The next day, there was a death in a different home in Travis County, which is not related to this incident. 

Anyone with more information about this case is asked to call the TCSO tip line at 512-854-1444 or Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS (8477).

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