Prosecutors vows to seek justice for Maria Muñoz after Texas wife's suspicious death
CBSN
In January 2021, Marisela Jacaman, chief assistant district attorney for Webb County in Laredo, Texas, was assigned to prosecute Joel Pellot, who had been charged with killing his 31-year-old wife Maria Muñoz. Jacaman was joined by Ana Karen Garza Gutierrez, chief assistant prosecutor for the 406th district court, and assistant DAs Karina Rios and Cristal Calderon. The all-female prosecution team would have the daunting task of proving to jurors that Pellot had the means and motive to murder his wife and the mother of their two young sons.
Some of the most unique pieces of evidence in this case were Muñoz's daily journals, where she had been pouring out her feelings. Maria's own words provided investigators with a window into her life in the months leading up to her death.
"We were able to show her character, her personality, her struggles, the joy she had as being a mother ..." Jacaman tells "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty in an interview for "The Journals of Maria Muñoz," airing Saturday, Dec.16, at 10/9 c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Washington — President Trump on Thursday announced the United States will contribute $10 billion to the "Board of Peace" he established as part of his 20-point peace plan for Gaza, although the funding source isn't yet clear.
Years of accusations stemming from former Prince Andrew's close friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein culminated Thursday in a moment long sought by survivors of Epstein's abuse, when King Charles III's brother was arrested. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest is related to suspected misconduct in public office, not his actions with young women linked to Epstein. In:
A California judge admonished members of Mark Zuckerberg's team for wearing Ray Ban-Meta AI glasses, which are equipped with a camera, as they entered a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday for a landmark trial over the impact of social media on children. Edited by Alain Sherter In:
Authorities say they're working to find out why a group of skiers and their guides continued with their trip after a first avalanche watch was issued on Sunday, two days before an avalanche killed some of them near Lake Tahoe, California. In:
NASA cleared engineers to load more than 750,000 gallons of supercold propellants into the agency's huge Space Launch System rocket Thursday in a second "wet dress rehearsal" countdown to verify leak repairs and clear the way for a flight to the moon as early as March 6. In:
Kovay Gardens sells itself as a secluded retreat on Mexico's Pacific coast: a private beach along the Bahía de Banderas, four pools spilling toward the ocean and beds dressed in Egyptian cotton. Guests are promised room service, buffet breakfasts and airport shuttles to the boutique resort outside Puerto Vallarta.
The FBI has been in touch with the Mexican government and Mexican law enforcement regarding the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Anna Schecter contributed to this report. In:
Honolulu — The crowing starts well before the sun rises over Mason Aiona's home in Hawaii.
The family of Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked to engage in sex with former Prince Andrew when she was a teenager, thanked British police on Thursday after his arrest for suspected misconduct in public office. Zoe Christen Jones and Emmet Lyons contributed to this report. In:
A Texas judge on Thursday will consider a formal declaration of innocence for the four men who were wrongfully accused of the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders, including one man who was initially convicted and sent to death row in the killing of four teenagers in a crime that haunted the city for decades. In:
If at first you're stonewalled by the Trump administration, try, try again.
Inside the surge of threats against public officials fueling a rise in prosecutions: "It's too much"
Washington — The 15 comments came across a series of eight days in July, posted under pseudonyms alluding to the perpetrators of some of the most infamous mass shootings in U.S. history, including Sandy Hook Elementary School and Aurora, Colorado. Callie Teitelbaum contributed to this report.
The Trump administration has given Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers broader powers to detain lawful refugees who have yet to secure permanent U.S. residency, in its latest effort to more heavily scrutinize immigrants, illegal and legal alike, according to a government memo issued Wednesday and obtained by CBS News