The third day in the trial of Cristopher Maldonado continued on Friday (02/28/25) The trial revolves around Maldonado's charge of corpse-tampering, in connection with Angela Leann Mitchell's death back in May of 2022. Taking the stand today was Head Detective Ralph Cardona of the Texas City Police Department. The jury, made up of 10 men and 3 women, plus two alternate members whose identities are kept private, has now heard all the evidence and testimony from every witness. During today’s events, and in an old-school litigator move, Maldonado’s defense lawyer, Greg Russell, strongly suggested he was going to request a mistrial. He argued that the prosecution, led by Casey Kirst, kept bringing up Maldonado’s refusal to cooperate in the homicide investigation as a tactic to sway the jury, which he believed was unfair. Judge Jeth Jones of the 112th District Court swiftly dismissed this move. Much of the questioning between Kirst and Russell focused on two main points: how many times Maldonado contacted Angela Mitchell before and after she was reported missing on May 6, and how both police departments handled their request to access Mitchell’s Facebook account. Additionally, Greg Russell argued that getting access to Angela’s Facebook account was crucial to the case – and that the lack of urgency from the police, as well as the lack of her Facebook information, means both police departments “dropped the ball” – and therefore, the evidence in the trial is impermissive. Detective Cardona did explicitly state he believed Maldonado was responsible for the death of Angela Mitchell. Much of his testimony supported the prosecution. A stoic, calm Maldonado listened to the arguments. He did not take the stand. Mitchell’s family was audibly frustrated as Russell’s old-school technique slowed down the pace of the trial. The case heads into the weekend riddled in brain-fogging complexity. Notably, this trial is not about whether Maldonado killed Angela Mitchell. Mitchell’s body was so badly decomposed in the trunk of the car that investigators couldn’t determine how she died. Because of this, no one has been charged with her murder. However, since Maldonado knew about the missing person investigation in Dickinson, prosecutors argue that his actions, before Texas City Police began their homicide investigation on May 11, gave them enough reason to charge him with tampering with a dead body. The jury will deliberate and offer their verdict on Monday, barring no delays or surprises.

Posted by i45NOW Staff Report at 2025-02-28 22:52:27 UTC