ANSONIA, Conn. (Court TV) — A man was convicted of murdering his girlfriend, with whom he shared a 1-year-old daughter who has been missing since her mother’s death.
Jose Morales sits next to his attorney in court on the first day of his trial, April 7, 2025. (Court TV)
Jose Morales, 48, was convicted of murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Christine Holloway, whose body was found in her home in December 2019. Their 1-year-old daughter, Vanessa Morales, has been missing ever since. While Morales has not been charged in her disappearance, he remains a suspect.
On December 2, 2019, Holloway’s boss called the police for a welfare check after she didn’t show up to the daycare she worked at, an arrest affidavit states. Later that day, her family reported her missing. When police contacted Morales, he denied involvement, but police noted that his story kept changing. Eventually, officers forced entry into Holloway’s home and found her nude, beaten body in the bathtub. The couple’s 1-year-old daughter was gone.
During a police interview, Morales admitted to using PCP throughout the weekend and claimed not to remember being at Holloway’s home that weekend, even though neighbors reportedly saw him. Investigators said Morales did place a 911 call from his phone at 1:52 a.m. on Dec. 1, which captured him repeating an address while a woman can be heard saying, “Stop, hang up. Who are you calling?”
Investigators found DNA and forensic evidence that they say points to Morales’ guilt, including:
- blood on his sneakers
- a trash bag with Holloway’s blood in his trunk
- Morales’ hair in Holloway’s hands
- surveillance video of Morales near donation bins where Holloway’s blood-stained items had been found
- phone data that allegedly places Morales at the crime scene.
Morales was arrested on Dec. 3, 2019, after police said they found illegal stun guns in his home. He was later charged with murder and evidence tampering.
Morales’ lawyers claimed PCP use caused memory loss and extreme emotional distress.
RECENT COVERAGE
- CT v. Jose Morales: Pivotal Moments from Day 1
- CT v. Jose Morales: Pivotal Moments from Day 2
- Detective Explains Crime Scene Where Christine Holloway’s Body Was Found
- Jury Views Police Interview in Missing Daughter, Murdered Mother Trial
- Video Shows Jose Morales’ Parents Find Out About Holloway’s Murder
- Photos Show Significant Damage to Christine Holloway’s Skull
- Jose Morales Blames PCP For Memory Loss
- Jose Morales Testifies Intruders Murdered Christine Holloway
- Jose Morales: ‘I Did Not Kill Christine Holloway’
- Missing Daughter, Murdered Mother Trial: Watch the Verdict
