Man convicted of murdering a Connecticut woman whose young daughter has never been found

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MILFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut jury on Tuesday convicted a man of murder and evidence tampering in the 2019 killing of his girlfriend, while the disappearance of their young daughter remains a mystery.

Jose Morales, 48, of New Haven, faces 25 to 65 years in prison when he is sentenced on July 8 for the beating death of Christine Holloway inside her home in Ansonia, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of New Haven.

Morales testified at the trial in Milford that he did not kill Holloway. He said he, Holloway and their daughter, Vanessa, who was 14 months old at the time, were in Holloway’s apartment when two intruders broke in. He said one of the intruders attacked Holloway with a crowbar and he was assaulted before they kidnapped Vanessa, who has never been found. Morales also said he was high on PCP at the time.

Days after the killing, authorities issued an Amber Alert for Vanessa, whose missing person case remains posted on the websites of the FBI and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Ansonia police said in late 2019 that Morales was a suspect in Vanessa’s disappearance, but he was never charged.

During closing arguments on Monday, Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Howard Stein said the evidence showed that Morales repeatedly struck Holloway in the head with an object and tried to cover it up by cleaning up the crime scene.

Morales’ lawyer, Edward Gavin, declined to comment after the verdict. During his closing argument, he said there was no evidence that Morales had any intent to kill Holloway.

The jury began deliberating Monday afternoon and reached a verdict Tuesday morning after about two total hours of discussion.