MANDEL: Blood spatter tells disturbing tale in murder victim’s bedroom

Family members of murder victim Malena Morales were warned the photos they were going to see would be disturbing.

It doesn’t matter that 16 years have passed since the young mother’s body was discovered by Peel Regional Police tucked under a comforter in the apartment bedroom she’d shared with her husband Henry — the man she had told friends and family that she intended to divorce.

And the man who then disappeared — with only his car found at Pearson airport.

After an international manhunt, Henry Morales, 44, was located in Mexico and returned to Canada in 2020. He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

A mother of two sons, aged 10 and 7, Malena’s body was found in the early morning hours of July 13, 2006 — more than 30 hours after her oldest heard his parents arguing in their bedroom and his mother crying out, “Junior, help me.”

Ana Christina Gonzalez told the court her brother-in-law Henry called her on the afternoon of July 12 and told her Malena had been in a car accident and he needed her to take care of their two boys.

Gonzalez agreed but asked him to return by 6 p.m. because she and his brother Saul were planning to go out.

“He was in a hurry to go and he just said ‘bye’ to the kids and told them to behave,” she recalled.

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When Henry didn’t return by 6 p.m., they asked Junior to call his dad. He called back at midnight, she said, and spoke to her husband. After that conversation, she said he left to go to the police station.

A short time later, an officer was let into the Morales apartment and found the cold body of the 31-year-old mother lying on her side, dressed in pink pyjamas. Court has heard she was strangled and beaten, suffering five broken ribs and a cut above her left eye.

The blood in that apartment had a disturbing tale to tell.

Police blood spatter expert Det. Robert Hofstetter testified Malena had blood on her hands, on her palms and between her fingers, with samples taken from her right hand identifying her as the source of the blood mixed with the profile of a male, “which I believe they subsequently identified Henry Morales as the donor of the male portion of that.”

Hofstetter said the blood stains found on the bed indicated the “blood letting” hadn’t occurred where the victim had been found and suggested Malena had been moved into her position on the bed.

He also found blood spatter on the wooden bed frame that continued onto the floor. He said the blood, which came from Malena, had originated fairly low to the ground.

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Crown attorney Brian McGuire posed a hypothetical to the expert — was the blood spatter consistent with Malena “being repeatedly kicked or punched while her head was just above the floor?”

Hofstetter it was possible — while another possible scenario would be if she fell and her bleeding head hit the bed frame.

In the master bedroom closet, Hofstetter said a green towel was found with Malena’s blood on it as well as size four grey pants that had been in contact with her blood. There were a pair of beige cargo pants — with a size 34 waist — that also had been in contact with her blood.

A large red T-shirt was examined and found to have Malena’s blood both on the inside and outside surfaces of the shirt, including blood spatter. Again, the prosecutor asked the expert if that was consistent with someone beating a victim and having the blood spatter on their clothing.

“Yes, I’ve encountered that before,” he replied.

In the bathroom, there seemed to be an attempt at a clean up — Hofstetter said he found diluted blood stains in the sink area of the bathroom.

But whoever had tried to erase what happened in that bedroom seems to have abandoned their efforts — and the woman — behind.

Hofstetter will be cross-examined by Henry’s defence team on Monday.

mmandel@postmedia.com