SAN DIEGO (Court TV) — A former Marine accused of brutally murdering his girlfriend and fleeing the country was back in court Wednesday for a hearing.
Raymond McLeod, 41, is charged in the June 2016 death of 30-year-old Krystal Mitchell. Her body was found inside a friend’s home, reported Scripps News San Diego. Mitchell had been strangled to death. Police said she was last seen with McLeod at a bar, where a witness said they saw the defendant slap her before leaving.
FILE – Raymond McLeod (U.S. Marshals Service)
In a wanted poster, the U.S. Marshals Service described McLeod as “an avid body builder and heavy drinker” with a history of domestic violence.
MORE | Ex-Marine faces a murder trial in girlfriend’s strangulation death
Following Mitchell’s murder, McLeod fled the country. Throughout the years, authorities tracked him to Guatemala and Belize. He was apprehended in Aug. 2022 in El Salvador following a tip that he had been teaching English at a school.
Wednesday’s hearing focused on the admissibility of evidence for an upcoming preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 22. Prosecutors were seeking to admit instances of uncharged domestic violence allegations from two of McLeod’s ex-wives. The defense sought to keep those out, however a judge granted the prosecution’s motion solely for the preliminary hearing.
At Wednesday’s hearing, McLeod’s defense also claimed Mitchell accidentally died while being strangled during “rough consensual sex.”
McLeod has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison, if he’s convicted at trial.
Mitchell’s mother, Josephine Wentzel, has been credited with playing a critical role in finding McLeod according the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. Wentzel, a former police detective, told KFMB-TV she “started pounding the pavement virtually” by monitoring social media and placing wanted ads.
