Affidavit details possible motive in Brandon Swinney case

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- The Odessa Police Department revealed in a news conference on Thursday that it has issued an arrest warrant in connection with the 2019 murder of 42-year-old Brandon Swinney. Now, an affidavit has revealed new details into the cold case investigation as well as a possible motive behind the shooting.

Since November 21, 2019, Swinney’s family has been waiting for answers about why the beloved son, husband, and father was killed. Investigators said Swinney parked outside his home upon returning home from baseball practice with his son. Swinney was just inches from his front door when a man stepped out from the shadows and fired at Swinney.

Swinney’s son, Kai, was just on the other side of the car when his father was shot.

“His son actually heard the shots, and got out and ran down the street looking for help,” said Susan Rogers, Odessa Crime Stoppers CEO.

For years, OPD had only a single image of the perpetrator to go on, you can see that surveillance video above. The affidavit states that the video evidence showed that “the shooter laid in wait for approximately one hour” before Swinney arrived.

OPD Chief Mike Gerke said they recently identified 55-year-old Roman Aguilar Alvarado, Jr. as the shooter in this case because of advancements in technology. Gerke also said that Alvarado had been interviewed before and had long been considered a person of interest in the case.

According to the affidavit, on October 29, 2020, investigators interviewed a woman about Swinney’s murder. At that time, she stated that she and Alvarado, her common law husband, were acquainted with Swinney. The woman the admitted that she and Swinney had been involved in a romantic affair while Alvarado was in custody in Ector County.

On November 4, 2020, investigators sat down with Alvarado and questioned him about the alleged affair. In that interview, Alvarado admitted that he’d gone to Swinney’s home to confront him about the affair in March of 2019. Alvarado said he did not make contact with Swinney at that time and then said he never went to Swinney’s home again.

When asked about the image captured on surveillance video, he reportedly said, “it does look like me”.

In 2023, OPD obtained electronic evidence that Alvarado was within five meters of Swinney’s home between 7:55 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the night of the 21st, which is within the time frame that the shooter was observed waiting outside Swinney’s home. That same electronic data showed that just after the shooting, Alvarado went to a family member’s home just after Swinney’s murder. Electronic evidence showed that no other person was in the area during that same time frame.

On March 19, 2024, OPD investigators traveled to the Federal Correctional Institution Cumberland in Cumberland, Maryland, where Alvarado is incarcerated on unrelated drug charges. At that time, investigators said Alvarado’s statements about the alleged affair that conflicted with statements made in 2020. Alvarado again denied killing Swinney but could not provide any reasonable explanation as to why he was within five meters of the crime scene at the time the shooter was lying in wait.

Alvarado will now be charged with Murder in connection with this case.

Gerke issued this statement on behalf of the department: “My thanks to Detective Lauren Gonzales of our Cold Case Unit for working diligently to bring this case to this point.

To the family of Brandon Swinney, I would like to extend my deepest condolences for losing him the way you did. I know that the past four years have been filled with frustrations and wonder. It is my hope that this arrest can help you in the next phase of healing.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the efforts of Susan Rogers with Odessa Crime Stoppers, former Texas Ranger Brian Burney, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Lastly, to the families of the victims of other unsolved murders, I know that you feel that nothing is being done on your case, but I hope that todays news shows that the Odessa Police Department never gives up on these cases.”

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