What He Did In The Bathroom After Striking Her 8 Times With A Hammer | True Crime Documentary⁠

Ansonia, Connecticut. At Bright Morning Star Daycare, owner Rosie Clark began to grow concerned. The head teacher of the infant room, 43-year-old Christine Holloway, still hadn’t shown up for work. For the kind-hearted caregiver, whom her co-workers knew as exceptionally responsible and punctual, being late like this was completely out of character.

 Staff members tried to reach her, but had no success. Around 1:00 in the afternoon, after Rosie called Christine’s relatives, she contacted police and asked them to check her apartment at 6 and 1/2 Myrtle Avenue. The apartment was located on the second floor above a three-car garage. While inspecting the building from the backyard, an officer noticed that one of the bay windows was slightly open.

 The bathroom skylight was also partially open. Given the freezing weather, those details immediately raised concern. No one answered the door, and there were no signs of movement inside. At the same time, nothing else suggested that anything unusual had happened, although it appeared that Christine simply wasn’t home.

 Christine was the mother of 14-month-old Vanessa, whom she was raising with her boyfriend, Jose Morales. Jose told Christine’s brother and sister-in-law that he had seen her leave for work with Vanessa at around 7:00 that morning. Since Christine worked at the daycare, Vanessa was with her every day, so she never needed to arrange childcare with anyone else.

Christine had met Jose through an online dating app. From a previous relationship, he had two children, Isaac and Isabella, who lived with him during the week in the basement of his mother’s home in Fair Haven. On weekends, Jose usually stayed with Christine in Ansonia. With that information, Officer Smith and Sergeant Guerra of the Ansonia Police Department decided to call Jose.

Hey, everyone. Let me interrupt the story for just a moment. I’m really curious where all of you are watching from, so I’d love for you to tell me what city you’re in and what time it is there right now. Thanks for taking a moment to do that. Leave your answers in the comments and I’ll get right back to the story.

>> I’ve got a girl here that’s saying that she’s the sister of Christina Holloway. >> All right. >> Is that Christina your girlfriend? >> Yeah. >> Okay. She’s saying [laughter] that she couldn’t contact her all day today. She said that she talked to you today. And then you said you saw her leave this morning.

>> I saw her leave Friday in the morning to go to work. That’s about it. >> Who was she Who was she with when she left? Is that your baby as well? >> Yeah. >> Jose told Steven and John that the last time he saw Christine was around 7:00 that morning when she left for work with Vanessa. However, when he spoke with Officer Smith and Sergeant Guerrera, he changed his story.

 This time, Jose claimed that he had only spoken with Christine on the phone around that time and had not actually seen her. According to Jose, the last time they had seen each other was on Friday evening after they celebrated Thanksgiving together and went their separate ways outside his mother’s house. During the conversation, the officers asked Jose to clarify exactly when he had last seen Christine.

He insisted that it had been on Friday, although he acknowledged that they spoke on the phone around 7:00 that morning while she was supposedly getting ready for work. But that wasn’t the only inconsistency in his account. Jose told investigators that his girlfriend drove a gold 2002 Mazda Protege. In reality, that car was no longer registered to Christine.

About a week earlier, she had purchased a new vehicle, a black 2017 Ford Focus. Her family was well aware of the purchase. In fact, according to them, Jose had helped Christine choose the new car at the dealership. Yet, during his conversation with police, he appeared to have completely forgotten that fact.

 The officers explained to Jose that everyone was concerned about Christine’s disappearance, but they were especially worried about the fate of his 1-year-old daughter, Vanessa. When they asked him again what vehicle Christine drove, he once more answered that she had a gold 2002 Mazda Protege. When asked who was driving the black Ford Focus, Jose claimed he knew nothing about such a vehicle and, as far as he was aware, Christine did not own any other car.

The conversation with Jose Morales raised serious concerns. Afterward, the officers returned to Myrtle Avenue and knocked on the door of Christine’s apartment several more times, but once again, no one answered. As they assessed the situation, they also went door-to-door throughout the neighborhood hoping to find someone who had recently seen Christine or Vanessa.

No one reported seeing either of them recently. However, one witness told investigators that they had seen Jose leaving Christine’s apartment earlier that day. >> They came out they said, “No car was in the driveway. No car was here.” Um She had a mother 1 year old. She always showed up for work.

 She always contacts us. We don’t see We haven’t heard from her. This is really really bad. We have a bad feeling. Talked to the boyfriend. Boyfriend says, “I haven’t I haven’t seen her. I haven’t talked to her. I talked to her in the morning, but I haven’t seen her yet.” Uh we just got to the house now. There’s a couple windows open on the second floor, which is really odd cuz obviously it’s freezing out.

I had him do a neighborhood canvas. One neighbor said, “Hey, I saw him I saw him driving out driving her car out of here this afternoon.” I can’t get into the house. I’m going to kick in the door. Um but um Based on all the circumstances they had uncovered and the inconsistencies in the case, investigators decided to force their way into the apartment.

We’re going to have time to make entry. All right, did you hear that? You can hear us walking through the apartment ON THE UH POLICE, FIND HER. OFFICER, I’M IN. POLICE, FIND HER. >> 20, PLEASE. >> POLICE, find her. >> [laughter] >> Holy [ __ ] >> [ __ ] Holy [ __ ] dude. Holy [ __ ] >> Definitely need a >> Holy [ __ ] Okay.

Find the back door. >> Back door. >> No, clear the room. Clear the house. >> [sighs] >> 4322, I’m going to need a trigger. >> In the bathroom, officers found Christine’s body. It was immediately clear that she was dead. Law enforcement secured the scene at once and began searching for little Vanessa. But she was nowhere to be found in the apartment with her mother.

At that point, Vanessa’s whereabouts were still unknown. She was still considered missing. >> Today, the identity of the female victim found inside 6 1/2 Myrtle Avenue on Monday, December 2nd, 2019 was positively identified as Christine Marie Holloway, age 43, the mother of Vanessa Morales, our missing 1-year-old baby.

Vanessa Morales is still missing, and we, along with the FBI, Derby Police, Connecticut State Police, are still following leads to locate Vanessa to return her home safely. >> Christine Marie Holloway was 43 years old. She was the oldest of five children, and from an early age, she stood out for her caring nature and genuine desire to look after others.

One of her greatest dreams was to become a mother. That dream came true when her daughter, Vanessa, was born. As a daycare teacher, Christine adored children, especially infants. According to her family, friends, and co-workers, she had incredible patience and was an exceptionally kind person. Faith also played a central role in her life.

Christine was a member of Columbia, an organization of Catholic women united by sisterhood, service, faith, and active support for their community. The autopsy revealed that Christine died after suffering at least eight blows from a blunt object. Investigators believe the murder weapon was most likely a hammer, but it was never found inside the apartment.

 They concluded that Christine had been attacked near Vanessa’s crib and then left to die on the landing inside the apartment. Later, someone removed Christine’s clothing and moved her body into the bathtub where officers eventually found her. By the time her body was discovered, it was obvious that she had been dead for quite some time.

One of the lieutenants at the scene reported seeing an internal organ that had been removed from Christine’s body lying next to the bathtub. According to the medical examiner’s findings, she died sometime between late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Clumps of hair were found in Christine’s hand, suggesting that she had ripped them from her attacker while desperately fighting for her life.

As investigators examined the apartment, they noticed that, aside from the bathroom, it was clean and well-kept. Scented candles were even burning inside. However, when experts from the Connecticut State Police conducted a detailed forensic examination, they found traces of blood on the walls, carpets, and numerous items in the area where Vanessa’s crib had been.

 A rocking chair, stuffed animals, and containers filled with children’s toys also tested positive for blood. Among those items, investigators found a single pink Crocs toddler clog. The matching shoe was missing. Everything pointed to someone making a careful attempt to clean up the crime scene after the attack.

 Under the kitchen sink, forensic investigators found a bucket filled with wet rags that had become discolored from contamination. When they dismantled the kitchen sink drain, they discovered tiny fragments of bone tissue that were later identified as belonging to Christine. Another unusual detail was an overflowing recycling bin on the front porch packed with empty cans.

Inside the apartment, investigators also emptied another full container. It contained more than 12 empty beer cans along with about a dozen plastic water bottles. However, toxicology tests confirmed that Christine had no alcohol in her system at the time of her death. According to those close to her, she did not drink alcohol at all.

While examining blood samples collected from various items throughout the apartment, forensic experts were unable to obtain a complete DNA profile. Although it was reasonable to assume that some of the biological material belonged to Christine herself, none of the samples tested contained the DNA of little Vanessa.

>> The family would like to thank all of the law enforcement agencies involved with searching for my baby niece, Vanessa Morales. My name is Anna. I’m Vanessa’s aunt. We, the family, [snorts] would like to ask for everyone in our communities and beyond us to help bring baby Vanessa home safely. Anyone with any information on her whereabouts, we beg of you to please contact Ensonia [snorts] Police Department or call the FBI tipline 203 >> A man who used the garage on the first floor of the building at 6 and 1/2

Myrtle Avenue as a workshop told investigators that on Friday between 4:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon, he heard loud noises and voices coming from the apartment upstairs. According to him, he heard a man’s voice, sounds that resembled a hammer striking a wall, as if someone was building something, and noise that sounded like furniture being moved.

 When he left the building that evening, the bay window of the apartment above the garage was open despite the freezing winter weather. Another neighborhood resident told investigators that on the morning of November 30th, Saturday, he saw Jose outside Christine’s apartment. According to the witness, Jose was installing a child safety seat in a black Ford, next to which stood a little girl believed to be Vanessa.

When police arrived at the scene, they found no child safety seat either in Christine’s Ford Focus or anywhere else on the property. Another neighbor, George O’Meara, said he had not seen Christine for several days. However, he did see Jose leaving the building on Monday afternoon, shortly after police had first arrived to check on the apartment.

 Surveillance footage later confirmed his account. The video showed Jose leaving the building at around 2:00 in the afternoon and driving away in his Nissan Sentra. The car was easy to identify because of one distinctive feature, its damaged muffler hung unusually low, making the vehicle recognizable not only by sight, but also by its unmistakable sound.

Meanwhile, investigators began collecting surveillance footage from cameras along Myrtle Avenue, West Street, Mott Street, and Cottage Road. One of the cameras had a clear view of the road vehicles used to enter and leave Christine’s apartment via West Street. It took investigators several days to analyze and compare all of the recordings.

Even then, however, investigators already had a witness who had seen Jose Morales leaving Christine’s apartment after experts believed she was already dead. On top of that, during his phone conversation with officers, he had already given false or at the very least misleading statements. Equally suspicious was his almost complete lack of concern about the disappearance of both his girlfriend and his young daughter.

Jose was later located at the home of his mother, Lydia De Jesus, and his stepfather, Marcos Garcia. He was taken to the police station for questioning. At that point, he was told only that Christine and Vanessa were considered missing. During the 38-minute ride to the station, 43-year-old Jose remained unusually calm.

He talked about how much he liked the police car and mentioned that he lived a sober lifestyle, did not use drugs, and rarely drank alcohol. At no point did he ask about the whereabouts of his young daughter. Once the interview began, Jose tried to downplay the significance of his relationship with Christine.

 According to him, their relationship had never been serious, and they mainly stayed in touch because they were raising Vanessa together. During the interview, Jose stated that the last time he saw Christine and Vanessa was on Friday evening, when they left his mother’s house after everyone had spent several days together celebrating Thanksgiving.

According to Jose, he then went to visit a friend named Hector, and later the two of them drove to Bridgeport. However, at first, Jose was unable to provide either Hector’s last name or the address where he lived. Throughout the entire interview, Jose repeatedly insisted that he had no idea what had happened to Christine or their daughter Vanessa.

He later began expressing frustration and questioned why Christine’s relatives were not also being interviewed at the police station, suggesting that suspicion should not be directed solely at him. >> your daughter. I’m worried. That’s why I keep trying to call but but you didn’t answer. You were sitting on the whole right here.

 You talked about everything, whatever. The whole right here and you just talked about a 1-year-old daughter. This I don’t get that. And you The only reason you’re here is to find her. You have to help us find her. All right, so then I told him, “Where is she?” I don’t know. Do you know where your daughter is? I don’t know where my daughter is.

 I don’t know where Christine is. So, where is Christine? >> After just over 40 minutes of questioning, Jose decided to end the interview and leave the station. At that point, investigators were still analyzing the evidence collected from the apartment, examining the vehicles, and reviewing surveillance footage, so they did not yet have legal grounds to arrest him.

However, investigators insisted that Jose turn over the clothes he was wearing for forensic testing. It was obvious that he was not happy about the request. As Jose removed his T-shirt, investigators noticed a small bruise on the right side of his chest. They also observed scrapes on the knuckles of both hands, faint scratches on both forearms, and swelling and redness on the right side of his face.

While examining the black sneakers Jose had been wearing to the police station, forensic experts found stains and particles of a fabric-like material. Everything was collected and sent to the crime lab for analysis. Despite the interview, Jose provided no information that could help locate Vanessa.

 At that point, he still did not know that Christine had been found murdered. After the interview concluded, officers drove Jose back to his mother’s home in Fairhaven. Law enforcement remained at the residence to secure the property while they obtained a search warrant. It was then that they informed Lydia, Marcos, and Jose that Christine was dead.

Jose sat silently on the right side of the living room, watching his mother’s reaction as she heard the tragic news. >> We know where Christine is. >> You know where Christine is? >> Yes. >> Oh, you guys found her? >> Yes. >> What about What about the baby? >> Uh Christine’s >> [music] >> dead. >> [laughter] >> We’re looking for trying to light on our situation that we’re working with right now.

 So, I’ll let you know this, it’s a homicide. >> [laughter] [gasps] >> We are looking for all the help we can get. >> The search for Vanessa was extremely urgent. Every minute could make the difference. Investigators used every means available to get Jose to reveal what he knew. One of those methods was a conversation involving his parents.

 During that conversation, investigators pointed out the numerous inconsistencies in his statements. They explained that the vehicle Jose had identified as Christine’s car had never been found. At the same time, they already knew the location of the black Ford Focus, the vehicle he had previously claimed he knew nothing about.

 Investigators also reminded Jose that when they had asked him about Christine’s recent purchase of a new car, he initially denied knowing anything about it. Only later did he admit that he had in fact known about the new vehicle. Detectives confronted him directly about that contradiction in his account. In addition, Jose was informed that his own vehicle had already been seized for forensic examination.

After that, Marco spoke to Jose not as a witness, but as his father. He looked at his son and asked him directly where his little daughter was. Up until that moment, Jose had shown almost no emotion. But after his father’s question, he began repeatedly and very emotionally insisting that he had no idea what had happened to Christine or their daughter, Vanessa.

>> I don’t know. I don’t know. Why don’t you want me to come up with an idea? Why not? What do you want ME TO THINK? >> WHAT HAPPENED? >> WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY? >> DO YOU JUST invent [snorts] a situation? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. >> What were you doing there? >> You got to have to break the door in there to get in? >> [snorts] >> And you broke the door to get in? >> Why don’t you tell us the story if you want to say something? >> Investigators learned from Lydia and Marcos that on Friday evening, Jose left

the house at approximately the same time as Christine. She drove away in her Ford Focus, while he left in his Nissan Sentra with its loud muffler. Jose claimed that he had not been with Christine that evening, but with his friend Hector. During the conversation, his mother reminded investigators that over that same weekend, Jose had called her on FaceTime from Christine’s house on Myrtle Avenue.

At first, Jose claimed he had made the call using Hector’s phone. However, he later changed his story. According to his final version, he had used his own iPad to make the video call. >> Where were you on Friday? >> I was at I was at Hector. [snorts] >> Who is him? >> How does he How does he not know where he was yesterday? How does he not even 24 hours later? How does he not know that? >> I said I was at my boy’s Hector.

>> Oh, you weren’t cuz you were leaving the house at 1:49. >> We have him on video leaving the house and we also have >> What day was that? >> He was there. >> Today? >> On video. >> Yeah, Monday. >> Monday. >> I WAS AT HECTOR. I was >> On Monday. >> I was with him. >> On Monday. >> The weekend. The weekend. >> No, Monday.

 But you just said you were with Hector on Monday. You said, “I don’t remember what I was doing on Monday.” >> I was with Hector on the weekend. The weekend. >> What about Monday? They’re asking about Monday. >> Listen, you don’t have to answer. >> You can [snorts] do whatever I want. You can leave. >> Well, I’m here and you are putting up a lot of walls.

>> It’s not that I have a lot of walls. >> Yeah, but are you >> Maybe my brain is messed up. Maybe my I don’t I’m not a clear-minded person. >> Okay. I can I can understand that. You have a lot of stress in your life? >> Yeah, I have no job. >> Okay, so you >> I’m broke. >> You got three kids and you’re trying to support >> I live with my >> And you have three kids and you’re trying to support the three kids.

>> I can’t. [snorts] >> Yes, that is not easy. That is not easy. >> [snorts] >> Yeah, and you should be the one supporting your parents, but you can’t right now because that’s that’s that’s how our life is. You just lost your job a few months ago. I understand all that. You know, that [snorts] that puts people in the wrong set of the wrong mindset.

Right? No, it does. >> It does. Yeah, it does. He going to He going to fight. >> So, that’s why you don’t always think clearly about things. Right? You know, and >> No, I FaceTimed you from Hector’s house to make you believe that I was with her. >> [snorts] >> Did you see her and did you see anything in the background? You saw my face on FaceTime.

 I was making you believe that I was at Christine’s, but I cuz I didn’t want you to think that I’m out with my friend partying. >> So, what what were you FaceTiming with? What phone were you FaceTiming with? >> With Hector’s. >> Do you Do you have your phone? >> Yeah. >> All right, so then you should have the Hector’s uh >> No, no, no. >> [snorts] >> You should have Hector’s contact with that.

>> No, no, no, no. I was FaceTiming with the >> Whoops. >> Later, acting under a search warrant, investigators seized the iPad that Jose shared with his son, Isaac. Forensic analysis confirmed that it was this device that had been used to make the FaceTime call to his mother over the Wi-Fi network at Christine’s home on Myrtle Avenue.

As the investigation progressed, detectives also focused on a 911 call that came into the Ansonia Police Department at around 2:00 in the morning on Saturday, December 1st. The call was placed from Jose Morales’ cell phone, and the signal was routed through a cell tower located one block from Christine’s apartment.

 The call lasted 1 minute and 14 seconds. During the call, an indistinct male voice could be heard saying the street name, Myrtle Avenue. Most of the conversation was muffled and impossible to understand. However, a woman’s voice could occasionally be heard in the background. After enhancing the audio, experts were able to make out her words.

She was heard saying, “Stop. Hang up. Who are you calling?” The call then disconnected, and despite repeated attempts, the dispatcher was unable to reach the caller again. Officers were sent to Myrtle Avenue to determine whether anything suspicious was taking place. Since they did not know the exact address, patrol officers simply checked the street, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

 Meanwhile, the amount of physical evidence linking Jose Morales to the murder, or at the very least to the cover-up, continued to grow. In his bathroom, investigators seized towels and washcloths bearing stains that appeared to be blood. In the trunk of his Nissan, they found a large black construction-grade trash bag with a reddish stain.

Laboratory testing confirmed it contained Christine’s DNA. Swabs collected from the gas pedal, brake pedal, and both the interior and exterior door handles of the vehicle also matched Christine’s DNA. Data from Jose’s cell phone became just as important. Police eventually located the friend named Hector, with whom Jose claimed he had spent the entire weekend.

He was identified as Hector Rodriguez of New Haven. Cell phone records confirmed that Jose and Hector were together in Bridgeport on Friday evening, just as Jose had said. At first, Hector told investigators that they had spent the entire weekend together. He later admitted that he had said that only because Jose had asked him to back up that story.

In reality, Jose came and went throughout Saturday and Sunday, spending most of his time elsewhere. That account was confirmed by both Jose’s cell phone data and surveillance footage from the area. Cameras captured his Nissan with its distinctive loud muffler leaving Myrtle Avenue at around 6:00 Saturday morning, approximately 4 hours after the mysterious 911 call, and traveling along Derby Avenue towards St. Michael’s Church.

Less than 15 minutes later, Jose arrived at a Shell gas station on Main Street, where he went into the store and attempted to buy cigarettes. However, his bank card was declined. Later that same day, he once again traveled along Derby Avenue, but this time he was driving Christine’s Ford Focus. The vehicle later returned to her apartment.

Christine’s cell phone followed that same route. By Monday, December 2nd, both vehicles were parked in front of the house. They were captured on Officer Kelly’s body camera when he conducted the initial welfare check at Christine’s residence that day. Investigators believed that at that time, Jose Morales was almost certainly inside the apartment.

Christine’s body was also still there, and investigators believed she had been dead since sometime during the night on Saturday. The significance of Jose’s trip to St. Michael’s Church became clear after a call from the charity Kiducation, which operated donation bins outside the church on Derby Avenue. On December 5th, an employee with the charity emptied the donation bins and discovered bags containing items covered with what appeared to be blood.

Executive Director Mary Tuttlebach examined the contents and, among toys, baby clothes, and various infant supplies, found a bundle of mail addressed to Christine Holloway at 6 1/2 Myrtle Avenue. She entered Christine’s name into a search engine and immediately called the police. Officers arrived in less than 5 minutes.

The contents of the bags shocked investigators. Inside, they found a diaper disposal container, a baby pillow, a toy radio, baby clothes, building blocks, stuffed animals, and a blood-stained towel. Also inside were several letters and documents addressed to Christine. During a more thorough examination, officers recovered children’s books, puzzles, blocks, and other toys.

In addition to the children’s belongings, the bags also contained adult clothing belonging to both a man and a woman. Some of the men’s clothing was size XXXL. Investigators also found a pink Crocs toddler clog for the left foot. It was a perfect match to the right shoe that had previously been found in the apartment on Myrtle Avenue.

Forensic experts found Christine’s DNA on many of the items recovered from the donation bins with a high degree of certainty. Biological traces on some items were less pronounced, but investigators concluded that all of the belongings had come from her apartment. Vanessa’s DNA was not found on any of the recovered items.

The search for the 1-year-old girl continued. Several items that Christine’s family said she used every day to care for Vanessa were missing from the donated belongings. A polka-dot blanket, a gray diaper backpack, and a Graco child safety seat. Those items were also not found in Christine’s apartment or in her vehicle.

Shortly afterward, the Ansonia Police Department officially announced the arrest of Jose Morales on suspicion of Christine’s murder. At the same time, investigators appealed to the public for help in locating Vanessa. The FBI announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the little girl’s whereabouts.

>> Only these items may be with Vanessa, or they may have been discarded at some point. If any of the items are located, they should not be touched, and a phone call should be made to the Ansonia Police Department. Hopefully, these pictures on on this side can help us jog someone’s memory.

 They may have seen something they didn’t realize it was important. >> Jose did not help in the search for his daughter, insisting that he had nothing to tell investigators. At least initially, that was his position. However, after several interviews, his account of what happened that weekend changed.

 Jose claimed that on Friday night, when he met up with Hector, he smoked PCP, also known as angel dust. PCP is a narcotic drug that can cause hallucinations, distorted perception of sound, and psychotic behavior. Jose told investigators that he used the drug multiple times throughout the weekend, leaving him with little memory of what had happened during those days.

According to Jose, as his memory gradually began to return, he recalled that late Saturday night two unknown men forced their way into the apartment. Jose claimed that the intruders knocked him unconscious for a period of time, brutally murdered Christine while he was helpless, and then kidnapped his daughter.

Despite those claims, Jose did not admit to murdering Christine. In addition, he was charged with tampering with and concealing evidence for attempting to clean up the crime scene. At that point, he had not yet been charged with any crimes related to Vanessa’s disappearance, although Jose remained the primary suspect in the case.

Four painful years passed, but Vanessa was never found. Throughout that entire time, Jose Morales continued to stand by his claim that he had lost his memory because of his PCP use. In the spring of 2025, the trial for Christine’s murder finally began. >> He’s going to tell you that the defendant didn’t do this.

Mr. Morales testified that home invaders killed Christine Holloway, left the only eyewitness to a brutal killing alive for some inexplicable reason, and then kidnapped Vanessa Morales. That this was a PCP-induced delusion, and that five and a half years later, he still believes that there were home invaders that were responsible for this brutal crime.

He is going to say to you, “Who calls 911 before killing somebody?” He is going to point you to the 911 call and suggest to you that the tape supports the inference that his client was high on PCP. >> The prosecution argued that Jose Morales had been an overly controlling, jealous, and psychologically abusive partner to Christine.

 Prosecutors rejected his claims about using PCP and suggested that it was far more likely he had simply been intoxicated by alcohol that weekend. In support of that theory, they pointed to the numerous empty beer cans found in the recycling bin. According to the prosecution, it was alcohol intoxication, not the effects of PCP, that explained how Jose was able to carefully clean the crime scene.

Investigators emphasized that he was able to drive back and forth to the apartment multiple times, operate a vehicle, remove belongings from the apartment, and dispose of them by leaving bags in the Kid U Care charity donation bins. According to prosecutors, such deliberate and methodical actions were highly unlikely for someone suffering from severe PCP intoxication.

>> Before he finishes the tasks in the house, before 6:00 a.m., when the cameras catch him making his run to the Kid U Care donation bins, how is he cognitively doing all of this a few short moments after smoking PCP, a drug with an average half-life of 8 hours, a drug that causes cognitive impairment? You know, the cognitive processes that help us plan, prioritize, and sustain efforts towards a goal.

>> The defense conceded Jose’s guilt only on the second charge, tampering with and concealing evidence. His attorneys argued that he was under the influence of drugs at the time and was incapable of thinking clearly. According to their version of events, Jose acted out of fear of the unknown men who had supposedly kidnapped his daughter.

For that reason, the defense argued, he tried to clean up the crime scene. At the same time, his attorneys emphasized that there was no forensic evidence directly linking Jose to the murder itself. In their view, all of the evidence related only to his subsequent efforts to conceal the crime. During the investigation, detectives recovered and examined three hammers, but were never able to determine which one, if any, had been used as the murder weapon.

DNA found beneath Christine’s fingernails, believed to be skin cells from her attacker, did not match Jose Morales. At the same time, forensic testing showed that the hair clutched in Christine’s hand was consistent with both Jose and Christine. During the trial, one of the defense attorneys addressed the jury with these words.

He told them that his wife of 40 years constantly watched true crime shows and always said that everything ultimately comes down to forensic evidence. He then asked the jurors what forensic evidence had actually been presented in this case. Answering his own question by saying that the most important fact was that Jose Morales’ DNA had not been found beneath Christine Holloway’s fingernails.

Jose later took the stand in his own defense. Once again, he told the jury his story about the unknown men who had supposedly murdered Christine and kidnapped Vanessa. According to Jose, because of the effects of PCP, his memories returned gradually and in fragments, which, he claimed, explained the many inconsistencies and contradictions in his earlier statements to police.

He insisted that whenever he remembered new details, he immediately shared them with investigators and fully cooperated with the investigation. Jose also explained the circumstances surrounding the mysterious 911 call. According to him, he dialed emergency services the moment he first noticed men approaching the house.

He claimed his speech was slurred because he was under the influence of drugs. According to his account, Christine had not yet seen the strangers and asked why he was calling the police. Jose went on to say that the call disconnected at the exact moment one of the attackers struck him and knocked him unconscious.

 Because of that, he was unable to call back. While explaining his version of events to the jury, Jose used a diagram of the apartment. According to him, he had been in the bathroom and saw the unknown men approaching the house from there. >> I tried to work my way out the bathroom to close the front door, but because I was so intoxicated, I couldn’t really move.

So, I made it to where where the um to where the bureau is at, around that area in the little kitchen area, right in between. I made it to like right here, right in between the >> Let me just We have to put this on the record just so we’re all clear. >> Yes. Because I was so intoxicated that I couldn’t do what I really wanted to do, I went in my pocket, I grabbed my phone, and I dialed 911.

>> Okay. Let’s Let’s just stop there. >> So, I called 911. I don’t know how much time went by. Seconds. I felt hit I got hit on my the right side of my face. I lost my balance. I already had no balance to begin with. I lost my balance. I fell. I tried to lean on the little kitchen island. I couldn’t [clears throat] get to it cuz I was not that close to it. So, I fell.

I got on my four on on my knees and my hands and I got hit right around my chest area. I stood there laid out on the floor high. >> Despite claiming that he had been heavily under the influence of drugs at the time of the murder, Jose was able to describe the events in remarkable detail during the trial. Step-by-step, he recounted what he claimed had happened inside the apartment during the attack.

 Jose gave a detailed account of Christine’s movements, the actions of the two unknown men he identified as the attackers, and his own movements throughout the entire incident. His testimony reconstructed the events almost minute-by-minute, despite his earlier claims that the effects of PCP had left him with almost no memory of that weekend.

>> At the same time, I’m listening, but I’m on the floor and I can hear that there’s a struggle going on in the bed area. There’s a fight. I hear screams. At the same time, I hear that somebody leaves the apartment. I see that somehow Christine got away from whoever it is that she was fighting with and tried to run out the apartment to go after the guy that left the apartment with Vanessa.

The the guy that she was struggling with was chasing her. She’s Put Can you Can you put the diagram? >> Yeah. >> What do you want to say? >> The one inside the apartment. Running towards the outside of the apartment, she either tripped or collapsed. By the the half of her body’s on the towel, the other half of the body’s on the carpet.

I tried I tried to to do something, but I can’t cuz I’m I’m I’m stuck. I’m PCP and I’m stuck. He looks at me. He points at Christine with the crowbar, and he said >> Objection. >> Being offered matters being offered to the effect it had on this juror. >> There’s an exception to the hearsay >> Objection.

 Your Honor, it’s self-serving, completely self-serving. >> During Jose’s testimony, the prosecution repeatedly objected. He frequently drifted into describing what he believed other people had said or were thinking, even though those types of statements were generally inadmissible as evidence. However, the court allowed one of his statements to be entered into the record as an exception.

Jose claimed that one of the unidentified men had threatened him. He said that this threat explained why he did not immediately search for his daughter and why, instead of going to the police, he began cleaning up the crime scene. While testifying, Jose told the court that one of the attackers, standing next to Christine’s body, warned him that if he contacted the police, his daughter would suffer the same fate as Christine.

Despite the prosecutor’s objection, the judge allowed the jury to hear that portion of his testimony. After the trial concluded, the jury deliberated for approximately an hour and a half over the course of two days before reaching a verdict. They found Jose Morales guilty of Christine’s murder. Following the guilty verdict, the court scheduled sentencing for July 8th, 2025.

Jose faced up to 65 years in prison. At the time the story was released, he had still not made any new statements about Vanessa’s whereabouts. Legal experts noted that under the circumstances, Jose would most likely receive a very lengthy prison sentence. At the same time, they emphasized that from the investigator’s perspective, the case remained unresolved.

 Although Christine’s body had been found, there were strong reasons to believe there was another victim, Vanessa, whose whereabouts remained unknown. For that reason, experts suggested that after the conviction became final, prosecutors might consider offering Jose some degree of sentencing leniency in exchange for credible information that could reveal what happened to 1-year-old Vanessa and where she was or where she might be buried.

>> He’s basically the last person to be known with her. I truly and honestly feel and this is my personal feeling, she’s not in the US.