The jury has found Jose Morales guilty of the murder of his girlfriend, the mother of his missing daughter, in her Ansonia home in December 2019 as well as tampering with evidence.
Police found Holloway's body on Dec. 2, 2019 in her home on Myrtle Avenue in Ansonia. Prosecutors believe that she was killed before.
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WATCH HEREThe couple’s daughter, Vanessa Morales, was 14 months old at the time and she was not in the home when police found Holloway. There has been no sign of her since.
Morales was arrested in connection with Holloway’s death on Feb. 7, 2020.
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SIGN UP The jury started deliberating on Monday afternoon and reached a verdict late Tuesday morning.
Morales was charged with the murder of Christine Holloway and tampering with evidence. He has pleaded not guilty.
Morales testified in his own defense and told the jury he was high on PCP when two men broke into Holloway’s home, attacked her and kidnapped their baby daughter.
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He said the man told him if he called the police, his daughter would suffer the same fate.
Morales also testified about putting Holloway in the tub after she was attacked and cleaning up the house.
After closing arguments on Monday, the jury deliberated for around an hour and a half on Monday before court closed for the day.
Judge Shari Murphy read the charge to the jury, along with instructions, on Monday and instructed them on how to consider lesser charges, such as first-degree or second-degree manslaughter.
You can watch the closing statements here.
