ANSONIA, CT — The jury in the Jose Morales murder trial began deliberations Monday afternoon following closing arguments from both the prosecution and defense.
Morales, accused of killing his girlfriend Christine Holloway in her Ansonia home in December 2019, faces charges of murder and tampering with evidence. He has pleaded not guilty.
The state argued Morales struck Holloway in the head at least eight times between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. on December 1, then spent over 36 hours cleaning the scene. Prosecutor Howard Stein said Morales claimed “home invaders killed Holloway and left the only eyewitness to a brutal killing alive for some inexplicable reason and then kidnapped Vanessa Morales.”
Vanessa, the couple’s 14-month-old daughter at the time, was missing when police discovered Holloway’s body on December 2. She has not been seen since.
The trial, now in its third week, turned last week when Morales took the stand. He testified that he was under the influence of PCP at the time of the incident and described hearing screams and seeing Holloway attacked with a crowbar by a man in their home. Morales said the man threatened their daughter if he contacted authorities.
“Mr. Morales, did you kill Christine Holloway?” Stein asked during cross-examination.
“No,” Morales responded.
Stein questioned Morales about the plausibility of his version of events, noting that neighbors heard banging from the apartment. Stein suggested that noise was Morales “dropping Ms. Holloway into the tub.” Morales replied, “No,” and said he was “banging on the floor to tell the person underneath to stop the noise.”
“Christine Holloway is dead in that apartment, you are cleaning up a gruesome crime scene and you’re concerned about the noise coming from the garage downstairs,” Stein pressed.
“It was driving me crazy,” Morales answered.
Defense attorney Ed Gavin told jurors the prosecution had not proven its case. He played a 911 call for the jury and pointed to Holloway’s voice in the background.
“Use your good common sense. Who calls 911 before committing a homicide? No one,” Gavin said. “And don’t forget, that’s Christine Holloway’s voice in the background on the call. Christine was there.”
Morales testified the couple had spent Thanksgiving together peacefully with their families. When shown text messages between himself and Holloway, he admitted to calling her names “sometimes.”
“Mr. Morales, were you so intoxicated on a substance — PCP or alcohol, or any other substance — that you do not remember killing Christine Holloway?” Stein asked.
“I did not kill Christine Holloway,” Morales replied.
Morales was arrested on February 7, 2020. Jury deliberations began following instructions delivered Monday afternoon after lunch. The outcome will determine whether the state proved beyond reasonable doubt that Morales was responsible for Holloway’s death and the disappearance of their daughter.
