Testimony Begins In Dallas Mom's Murder: Defense Attorneys Claim Marisol Espinosa's Death Was Accidental
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Testimony resumes Thursday morning in the trial of a Dallas man accused of murdering his estranged girlfriend before fleeing to Mexico.
Marisol Espinosa vanished in December 2015. Coworkers were instantly concerned when she was late for work-- something they say never happened. Jurors in Faustino Valdez's murder trial today heard that 911 call, and in it a coworker immediately pointed police to Valdez-- saying the couple had experienced "domestic issues" in the past.
When she was reported missing, family and friends immediately organized search parties, hoping to locate the mother of three. Then in March of 2016, a volunteer with a dog rescue group stumbled upon her body in the Trinity River Bottoms. Espinosa's mother, Rosemary, told jurors today about getting that phone call.
"In my heart, I knew it was her," says the elder Espinosa, wiping away tears. She says when she hurried to the scene off Dowdy Ferry Road, her worst fears were confirmed when she saw the faces of the detectives that approached. Although they could not immediately confirm the identity of the remains, Espinosa recalled for jurors that "there's a look", and then her voice faded to a whisper.
Espinosa is now raising her daughter's three children and tell me they are "doing well", in spite of the horrific way that they lost both parents.
In a somewhat shocking development, defense attorneys during opening arguments admitted that Valdez was present when Espinosa died. They acknowledged that he disposed of her body and that he fled to Mexico, and yet they insist that he is not guilty of her murder.
"People make bad decisions when they're scared," says defense attorney Phillip Linder. "He made a bunch of bad decisions after the fact... we think that it was an argument and it was an unfortunate accident."
Meanwhile, prosecutor Justin Lord is moving quickly, calling more than a dozen witnesses during day one of testimony. He is painting a vivid picture of Marisol Espinosa; the devoted mother and worker who was happier without Valdez.
Testimony from relatives, friends and coworkers struck a familiar tone: that Espinosa was determined to build a good life without the man described in court as a serial cheater who had been "physical" with Espinosa during the couple's tumultuous relationship.
Testimony resumes Tuesday at 8:30 in Judge Teresa Hawthorne's 203rd district court. Valdez is facing a life prison sentence if convicted of murder.
