A Texas resident has been convicted of tampering with evidence by hiding the body of a mother of four, although the cause of her death remains undetermined. Angela Mitchell, a 24-year-old mother, was reported missing by her mother on May 6, 2022, after she failed to show up to collect her infant. Mitchell’s family used the Find My Friends app to trace her phone, which led them to the residence of Christopher Lee Maldonado, 49. Mitchell’s car was discovered on May 11, emitting a foul odor and swarmed by flies. The decomposing body of the missing woman was found in the trunk.
The Galveston County District Attorney’s office confirmed that Mitchell was a sex worker and Maldonado was her last known client. Evidence from both Mitchell’s and Maldonado’s cell phones, presented during the February trial, indicated that she was at his home on May 5, 2022, and was never heard from again.
During the trial, the court heard from Mike Medina, an acquaintance of Maldonado. Medina testified that Maldonado had texted him on the night of May 5, offering him $200 to move Mitchell’s car. Unaware that Mitchell’s body was in the trunk, Medina enlisted the help of a couple of teenagers to move the vehicle. One of the teenagers, in turn, offered another friend “quick cash” to assist, and it was this friend who discovered the body in the trunk.
Due to the advanced state of decomposition of Mitchell’s body, the cause of death could not be determined. Consequently, Maldonado was not charged in relation to her death. However, on March 3, a jury found him guilty of tampering with evidence by concealing a corpse, a felony. He was sentenced on Tuesday to 120 days in jail followed by 10 years probation.