A Texas City man has been sentenced to probation following the discovery of a missing mother's decomposing body in the trunk of her car in 2022. Christopher Lee Maldonado, 49, received a verdict of 10 years probation and 120 days in jail from a Galveston County jury for his crime of tampering with a corpse, though he was indicted on a second-degree felony charge, reports Click2Houston.
Initial concerns regarding the whereabouts of Angela Mitchell, the deceased, were raised when she uncharacteristically did not pick up her infant son and subsequent searches using the Find My Friends app lead Mitchell's cousin to the vicinity of Maldonado's residence, her phone displayed a notification on the digital cloud, indicating a grim discovery. On May 6, when Mitchell's mother filed a missing person report with the Dickinson Police Department days later Texas City police, prompted by the smell of decay and swarms of flies, Mitchell's body was found in the trunk of her car on 4th Ave in Texas City.
According to evidence brought to light during the trial, as mentioned by KHOU 11, Mitchell was last seen working as a sex worker at Maldonado's Lago Mar home, phone records also placed him in contact with Mitchell just before she disappeared. The prosecution showcased screenshots found on Maldonado's phone of missing person posters and the testimony of an associate who claimed he had been paid $200 by Maldonado to move Mitchell's car, with no knowledge of the body inside.
"They just put her in her trunk," Mitchell's mother lamented in an interview given to KHOU 11 in 2022, "Threw her away like she was a piece of garbage. My baby is not a piece of garbage." Despite efforts, the medical examiner was unable to determine Mitchell's cause of death due to advanced decomposition, though natural causes and overdose were ruled out. The lack of clarity has left Mitchell's family seeking answers. Furthermore, the victim's ex-wife testified to Maldonado's history of manipulation and violence, including an alleged incident where he attempted to strangle her. He now faces a pending felony charge for strangulation assault in connection with this.
