The trial for Jose Morales continues for a seventh day. On Tuesday morning, the jury saw a five-minute body camera video showing Morales’ reaction when Ansonia police informed him of his girlfriend Christine Holloway’s death and his daughter’s disappearance.
On Tuesday, the jury in the trial of Jose Morales gained more insight on the defendant as the state introduced redacted footage from a body camera video.
Morales is facing murder charges and charges of tampering with evidence in the death of his girlfriend 43-year-old Christine Holloway back in December of 2019.
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WATCH HEREIn the seventh day of the ongoing trial, Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Howard Stein called Lt. James Frolish with the Ansonia Police Department to the stand.
Stein then introduced a five-minute video obtained by the body camera of Ansonia Police Detective Stephan Adcox from Dec. 3, 2019.
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SIGN UP The jury learned the video was heavily edited in order to be submitted as evidence.
The defense argued the video could cause permanent prejudice from the jury to his client, to which the state responded the video was relevant to the jury because it showed Morales’ reaction, or lack of, and the way Morales changed his response to detectives about his whereabouts over the weekend of Nov. 30 to Dec 2, 2019.
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The beginning of the video shows then-detective Frolish, Adcox and Sgt. Barreria standing in the living room of Morales’ parents' home, Lydia Dejesus and Marcos Garcia.
Morales was also present in the video.
Adcox is heard telling Morales and his parents that Christine Holloway was found dead in her Ansonia apartment.
Dejesus begins screaming as Garcia is seen trying to comfort her.
During this interaction between his parents, Morales shows little to no reaction.
At the time that the three are told Holloway's death was being investigated as a homicide, Morales is seen putting his hand over his face while remaining seated on a couch.
The jury sees more of the interactions where detectives and Morales’ mother are heard asking Morales where he was that Monday.
Morales can be heard repeatedly stating he did not know, while constantly changing his response.
Defense Attorney Ed Gavin then followed up with his questioning.
Gavin asks Frolish if he recalled speaking to Morales’ parents on Dec. 18, 2019, Frolish responded “yes,” then Gavin asked him “what information did you elicit regarding PCP usage?"
Stein objected to the mention of the question, raising issues of hearsay and relevancy.
This sparked a back and forth between the counsel and the judge to which the court ruled the following:
"I am going to order the defense attorney in the continuing questioning of this witness to refrain from using the word PCP."
The second witness of the day was Ansonia Police Detective Richard Esposito.
Esposito testified that he went back to 6 ½ Myrtle Ave. in Ansonia on Dec. 11, 2019 to try and get additional evidence.
Esposito said he focused his efforts on the kitchen sink and the drain trap of the garbage disposal.
He explained that he disassembled the garbage disposal and from its drain pipe, small off-white fragments were collected in an empty can.
Esposito said those items were sealed, labeled with an exhibit number and re-photographed back at the police station.
He added that the off-white fragments were sent to the State’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
He then went on to testify that he was also part of the group that investigated areas in Naugatuck in attempts to find Holloway’s cell phone.
Esposito testified that the cellphone was never recovered, however phone records showed the phone last pinged near the home of Morales’ family, Joshua and Amanda Morales.
During Gavin's questioning of Esposito, he asked if he knew what a Cellular Analysis Survey Team (CAST) report was, to which Esposito responded no.
Earlier in the trial, the jury learned from another witness that a CAST report does not indicate exact locations of a cell phone, but rather an area location.
The last witness was Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Hays with the CT Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Hays testified that he conducted an autopsy of Holloway’s body back on Dec. 4, 2019. He explained to the jury the process of an autopsy once they have the body.
“When the body comes in, the first thing we do is open the body bag and examine the body, at this point we’re touching it as little as possible trying not to manipulate it too much, we take a series of photographs, and look for any evidence that might be able to be collected," Hays said.
Hays went on to describe the additional autopsy steps done in a homicide investigation.
“In a case it appears to be a homicide, as this appeared to be, we’ll usually take a set of x-rays at this point as well, after that we’d remove any clothing, which wasn’t necessary in this case because she didn’t have clothing on, but we’d remove clothing, clean the body, wiping away any blood, dirt or debris, again I would do another full exam of the circumstance of the body," Hays said.
The state then introduced autopsy photos of Holloway’s body.
Hays provided graphic testimony to the jury regarding Holloway’s traumatic injuries.
"The descendant in this case had numerous extensive blunt force injuries to her head,” Hays said.
The state is expected to call one more witness to the stand, and then it will be the defense’s turn to present their argument.
