It has been over five years since an Ansonia woman was found dead in her home. The jury selection process got underway Tuesday for the man accused of her murder.
The jury selection process for the man accused of murdering his child’s mother officially got underway, over five years after the crime was allegedly committed.
On Tuesday, people appeared for jury selection at Milford’s Superior Court.
Jose Morales is facing charges including murder and tampering with evidence after his daughter’s mother Christine Holloway was found dead in her Ansonia home in December of 2019.
Morales’ daughter Vanessa has been missing since the day Holloway’s body was discovered.
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On Monday, presiding Judge Shari Murphy heard a motion where the defense was requesting Vanessa Morales not be mentioned in the case, however the judge ruled against it.
The judge said information about Vanessa is detrimental to the state's case, and how the jury understands the case.
Tuesday’s court proceedings began before 11 a.m. with 19 potential jurors and finished around 2:30 p.m. after Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Howard Stein and Morales’ defense attorney Ed Gavin questioned potential jurors.
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Stein and Gavin took turns questioning each of the potential jurors, asking questions related to their personal character and how they arrived at conclusions, and whether they would be able to render unbiased and fair verdicts if they were selected to serve in the case.
In the end, only one juror was selected to move forward in Morales’ trial.
Morales was present in court on Tuesday. He maintained a calm demeanor during the jury selection process and was unrestrained after court marshals deemed he wouldn't be a threat to the courtroom.
Jury selection will resume on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 10 a.m. at Milford Superior Court.
Morales’ jury trial is tentatively scheduled to begin on Monday, April 7, 2025.
