Diamond Samatha Cruz (right) with her daughter Adali (far left) and son Nathaniel.

A Tyler man accused in the shooting death of his children’s mother in August has been indicted on a murder charge.

Catalino Castillo Marin Jr., 21, was indicted in connection with the death of Diamond Samantha Cruz, 21, during a Smith County grand jury session on Oct. 22.

He has been in the Smith County Jail since Aug. 10 on a $500,000 bond.

Cruz was found dead in the 8700 block of County Road 384 in Tyler at about 5:30 a.m. Aug. 9.

Marin was then identified as the suspect by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. He fled in his pickup truck, and Tyler police located his vehicle crashed and flipped on its side in the city that afternoon.

He fled on foot and later negotiated with police and turned himself in.

Cruz’s mother, Dalila Lopez Morales, said Cruz would do anything for her kids, 3-year-old Adali and 2-year-old Nathaniel, and loved being a mom.

“She was so young. She was a good mother who didn’t deserve what happened to her,” Lopez Morales said. “She deserved so much better.”

According to the arrest affidavit, Marin told deputies the shooting death of Cruz was an accident, and she shot herself during a fight over the gun.

The document stated the wounds were inconsistent with a self-inflicted gunshot.

Detectives said the entry and exit wounds did not match with a person shooting themself. They also noted discrepancies within Marin’s recollection of events.

In the sheriff’s office interview, police noted Marin referred to Cruz as “the body” or “it” when discussing the shooting. His body language went from calm to trembling, stammering and crossing his arms when discussing the differences in what he told officers.

Police also said Marin showed no signs of remorse toward Cruz and he did not request emergency medical care, the affidavit read.