Julie Ann Gonzalez 21, Austin TX last seen 3/26/10 (car found)

[MuffyBee]

http://austin.ynn.com/content/news/295269/estranged-husband-charged-with-murder-of-julie-ann-gonzalez
Estranged husband charged with murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez
September 13, 2013


Booking photo of George De La Cruz

George De La Cruz, the estranged husband of missing Julie Ann Gonzalez has been arrested and indicted for murder.
Gonzalez was last seen on March 26, 2010. Her car was found in a Walgreens parking lot, and she missed an appointment to pick up her child from De La Cruz’s home that day.

APD executed a search warrant at De La Cruz's home in May of 2012, in which detectives asked for numerous items they believed would be found at the residence. Police said that while some items were seized that may be of evidentiary value, not all items sought were found.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/husband-of-woman-missing-since-2010-indicted-on-murder-charge
Body of Julie Ann Gonzalez still not found
September 13, 2013


Julie Ann Gonzalez

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The husband of a woman missing since 2010 was indicted on a first-degree murder charge Friday.

George De La Cruz, 25, had long been considered a "persosn of interest" in the disappearance of Julie Ann Gonzalez on March 26, 2010. Her 2005 Impala was found near a drugstore at Stassney Lane and South First Street.

Police said last year that De La Cruz was not cooperating with the investigation into the disappearance of his wife.

In the years since Gonzalez was last seen, her young daughter has been in the custody of De La Cruz. Gonzalez's family has been seeking custtody of the girl.

Form the Austin Police Departmemt's statement:

Initially it appeared that Julie’s disappearance was voluntary based on text messages sent to Julie’s family and friends from her cell phone.  However, the length of time since Julie’s last communication with family and other information uncovered causes concern about Julie’s welfare.  While voluntary withdrawal cannot be conclusively eliminated as a possibility, it becomes more unlikely as each day passes without contact from Julie.
More...

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/husband-of-missing-woman-charged-with-murder/nZwq5/
Husband of missing woman charged with murder
Posted: 3:12 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, 2013



Family handout photo

 
George De La Cruz, 25, was arrested by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force on Friday, according to the Austin Police Department. Jail records don’t show that he has been booked yet but a police official said he is in custody. His bail is set at $500,000, according to police.

Julie Ann Gonzalez, the mother of Gonzalez’s 2-year-old daughter, disappeared in late March 2010, prompting her family to launch a campaign to find her that included an appearance on the “Dr. Phil” TV show.

On the show and elsewhere, De La Cruz maintained that he had nothing to do with Gonzalez’s disappearance.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.julieanngonzalez.com/

Missing
Julie Ann Gonzalez

[MuffyBee]

http://austin.ynn.com/content/news/295269/estranged-husband-charged-with-murder-of-julie-ann-gonzalez
Estranged husband charged with murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez
2:53 PM September 13, 2013

George De La Cruz, the estranged husband of missing Julie Ann Gonzalez, 21, has been arrested and indicted for murder.
Gonzalez was last seen on March 26, 2010. Her car was found in a Walgreens parking lot, and she had plans to pick up her child from De La Cruz’s home that day.
 

Police initially believed Gonzalez’s disappearance was voluntary, but her family led the charge to have the incident more thoroughly investigated.

The family established a website, JulieAnnGonzalez.com, and purchased billboard space, pleading for anyone with information to come forward. Her mother, Sandra Soto, hosted fundraising events and sold homemade tamales to offset the costs.

De La Cruz is being held in Travis County Jail on $500,000 bond.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/Prosecutors-Murder-conviction-possible-even-without-a-body-223707881.html
Prosecutors: Murder conviction possible even without a body
September 14, 2013

AUSTIN -- Assistant Travis County District Attorney Gary Cobb told KVUE Friday evening that he believes George Delacruz could still be convicted of murder even though the body of his estranged wife has yet to be found.
“They're difficult cases but they can be proven and we've done in Travis County before, we've done it in the state of Texas before, and we've done it all over the United States before. It's difficult, but sometimes justice requires it,” said Cobb.
On Friday morning a Travis County Grand Jury indicted George Delacruz for first degree Murder in connection with his wife’s disappearance.
Delacruz was later arrested Friday afternoon while he was working at a construction site.
 
Dora Derma, an aunt of Julie Ann Gonzalez told KVUE in a phone conversation Friday said that the family isn’t speaking on camera because of an ongoing custody battle with Delacruz over the couple’s daughter.
“It's difficult to imagine a scenario where she would not only voluntarily disappear, but voluntarily for over a 3-year period have no contact whatsoever with her beloved child," she said.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/23445598/attorney-murder-suspect-in-2010-disappearance-a-victim-too
Attorney: Wrong man arrested in Gonzalez murder
Posted: Sep 16, 2013 3:16 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 16, 2013 8:08 PM CDT

Julie Ann Gonzalez is no longer a missing woman, now she's a presumed murder victim. The Travis County district attorney's office says her estranged husband George De la Cruz did it. He's in jail with a murder indictment.

"After three years we all came to the same conclusion," said Travis County Assistant District Attorney Gary Cobb.

According to Travis County Assistant District Attorney Gary Cobb, Julie Ann Gonzalez did not just disappear in March of 2010. He says she was the victim of foul play, at the hands of her soon-to-be ex-husband and father of her daughter, George De la Cruz.

"It will be an entirely circumstantial case because no one saw him kill her, but there will be lost of bits and pieces of evidence together that will help a jury understand what happened," said Cobb.

Police say De la Cruz was the last person to see Gonzalez alive. He told investigators that when Gonzalez went his home to pick up their daughter, she instead asked him to keep the child through the weekend and left.

"There's nothing in Julie Ann's history that would suggest she would, on a lark, leave her two year old daughter behind and for three years would make no attempt whatsoever to make contact with her daughter. That just makes no sense at all," said Cobb.

Bret Doyal, family attorney for De la Cruz disputes that.

"The maternal grandmother Sandra Soto testified there had been a sighting of Julie Ann Gonzalez in the Austin area after she'd been missing over a year," said Doyal.

During the past three years, De la Cruz has had primary custody of his daughter who is now six.

"He's a very quiet and calm spirited individual. He loves his daughter," said Doyal. "I have five children. I'm a pretty good gage of people I meet and how they act around their children. All these allegations in the past, I never saw it, I never did. People who ask me did he do it. No. You have to know this guy."

Now it will be up to a jury to decide.

 

De la Cruz's first court appearance will be in two weeks.

On Tuesday, Gonzalez's family will hold a press conference.

On Wednesday, both families will meet in court to determine who gets custody of the child now that De la Cruz is in jail.

Gonzalez has a half a million dollar bond.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Family-of-missing-Austin-girl-issue-statement-after-husbands-arrest-224153221.html
Family of missing Austin girl issue statement after husbands arrest
September 17, 2013

[MuffyBee]

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/23467746/judge-to-decide-custody-rights-for-daughter-of-murder-victim
Judge to decide custody rights for daughter of murder victim
September 18, 2013

A judge will decide who should have custody of the daughter of missing Austin mom Julie Ann Gonzalez and the man who's been arrested for her murder.

The 6-year-old girl has been living with her father, George De la Cruz. He was arrested last week for Julie Ann's murder, more than three years after she went missing. Julie Ann's mother, Sandra Soto, has been fighting for custody.

Attorneys for both families tell us that George's mother, Victoria, has intervened in the custody battle.

Until next month's hearing, the girl will remain in Victoria's custody.

Julie Ann's mother will continue to get regular visitation, but she hopes for full custody.

"She's lost her mom. Julie's been missing for 3 and a half years and now her dad is arrested for that murder and so she's losing her dad. Of course we want the best interest for Layla and we believe the best interest is she be with Ms. Soto," said Ron de La Rosa, attorney for Sandra Soto.
 
"Our position all along has been that George, he's innocent, he's a great father, his family is a great family and so this was the natural thing to do, putting his mother in his shoes," said Bret Doyal , attorney for George De la Cruz.

The custody hearing has been scheduled for October 7.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/23631705/agreement-reached-in-custody-battle-over-murder-victims-daughter
Agreement reached in custody battle over murder victim's daughter
October 7, 2013

There's an agreement in the custody battle over the daughter of missing Austin mom Julie Ann Gonzalez and the man arrested for her murder, George De la Cruz the girl's father.

For now, attorneys tell FOX 7 that De la Cruz's mother will continue to have primary custody.

Julie Ann's mother, Sandra Soto, and will get more visitation than she was previously allowed.
 
A pre-trail hearing in the case has been set for next month.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.julieanngonzalez.com/

MISSING
JULIE ANN GONZALEZ

[MuffyBee]

Why is George Gonzalez refusing to cooperate?   

http://www.kvue.com/news/A-mothers-heartbreak-four-years-after-her-daughters-disappearance----251575711.html
A mother's heartbreak 4 years after her daughter's disappearance
March 21, 2014

AUSTIN -- Four years ago this month, 21-year-old Julie Ann Gonzalez disappeared.
Police indicted her estranged husband last September for murder, but police say he refuses to cooperate, and the case is still open.
On Friday her mother talked to KVUE about holding out hope and the young daughter Gonzalez left behind.
"She never leaves my thoughts. I go to sleep thinking about Julie Ann, I wake up thinking about Julie Ann. Everything I do is about Julie Ann," Sandra Soto said.
 
The day she disappeared Gonzalez was headed to pick up her daughter from her estranged husband's home. Days later police found her car in a Walgreens parking lot in South Austin.
"We really don't have any leads,” Soto said. “And that's what's so painful. We really don't have any direction."
Austin police say when Gonzalez first disappeared, they believed she left voluntarily. Over time investigators began taking a closer look at her estranged husband, George de la Cruz, who denied any involvement in her disappearance.
Last September a Travis County Grand jury indicted him for first degree murder. He remains in jail, and Soto says he's not talking.
"If I were able to speak to George today, I would do the same thing I've done in the past. I would get down on my knees and beg him, beg him to tell me where my daughter is," Soto said.
Soto says the little girl Julie Ann left behind is the light of her life. Layla was just two and a half when her mother disappeared.
"Layla's life has been changed forever. She doesn't have her mom. And now she possibly will never see her father again," Soto said.
Soto says Julie Ann will always be with them, but knowing where her daughter is will help ease her family's heartache.
"I just want a peaceful life. And I can't be at peace if I don't know what happened to Julie Ann," Soto said.
The Travis County District Attorney's office says de la Cruz has a pre-trial hearing on the March 27 and expect him to go on trial later this year.

[MuffyBee]

http://kxan.com/2015/04/13/first-witnesses-take-the-stand-in-de-la-cruz-murder-trial/
First witnesses take the stand in De La Cruz murder trial
April 13, 2015, Updated April 14, 2015



AUSTIN (KXAN) — A jury was seated and opening statements were delivered Monday in the George De La Cruz’s murder trial. De La Cruz is accused of killing his estranged wife, Julie Ann Gonzalez. Prosecutors say he was the last one to see her in March of 2010. Her body has not been found.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys questioned a 73-person jury pool on Monday. After lunch, the field was narrowed down to 12 and the trial moved forward.

Day 1

She wanted out of her marriage with George De La Cruz, but Julie Ann Gonzalez may have already been looking forward to another marriage to her new lover, Aaron Breaux.

Breaux and Gonzalez had rekindled a relationship after she left De La Cruz and despite being frustrated by her husband’s refusal to sign divorce papers, Gonzalez was happy according to Breaux.

“We were talking about getting an apartment together,” said Aaron Breaux, the first witness called to the stand in the murder trial for De La Cruz. “We are talking about getting married and having kids.”

On the night before her disappearance, Breaux said he and Gonzalez had dinner at his apartment, a place he said she stayed often. The next morning on March 26, 2010, he left for work at 6 a.m., kissing her and telling her he loved her.

It would be the last time he saw her.

He called and texted her multiple times that day without response until he received a text from her around 2 p.m.

“(The text) said ‘I can’t do this anymore,’” said Breaux about the apparent breakup message. In that text conversation, the messages said Gonzalez was moving away to Colorado. Breaux found it a little hard to believe.

“Things did not seem right. I had a gut feeling something was wrong. I felt like somebody else had her phone.”

With that suspicion, Breaux said he asked for Gonzalez to tell him what his middle name was, since it would be something only she would know. The response simply said “I don’t feel like playing games.”

The state told jurors during opening arguments they will see evidence showing De La Cruz had in his possession many items that belonged to his estranged wife including a credit card he used at Walmart in the days after she disappeared.

Aaron went home from work that day to see if Gonzalez had truly packed up her belongings and left. Not only were her belongings still at the apartment, but she had left a love letter he read aloud for the jury.

“I can’t express how much I love you. How happy I am to be with you,” he read while pausing at times to compose himself. “You make me smile all the time. You make me feel special and loved.”

In the letter, Gonzalez also states he desire to one day marry Breaux and have a baby boy.

Breaux also testified Gonzalez was supposed to meet De La Cruz on Thursday, the day before her disappearance, to take the couple’s 2-year-old daughter Layla. The couple had split custody during their separation, but Breaux said De La Cruz had asked to keep Layla one extra day before giving her to Gonzalez on Friday.

It was that Friday Gonzalez disappeared.

Five-year wait

Family members of Gonzalez have waited five years to learn what happened to her.

“It’s been extremely difficult; a long, very long road,” said her aunt, Dora Soto-Derma, who hopes the trial brings closure. “Like we’ve always said, we’re just wanting answers, of what happened to Julie Ann.”

A grand Jury indicted De La Cruz in 2013.

Legal analyst Mindy Montford says the prosecution has an uphill battle.

“There are going to be some holes there, certainly,” she said. “They’re going to have to establish, first and foremost, that somebody died, and without a body that’s incredibly difficult to do.”

She says that could play well for the defense, but prosecutors must have felt confident about something.

“I anticipate the defense is going to make a big deal of that, but ultimately if the grand jury returned an indictment there’s got to be something more that links him to this case that just an assumption,” Montford said.

 

Video

[MuffyBee]

http://kxan.com/2015/04/12/family-remembers-mother-who-vanished-five-years-ago/
Trial begins in murder case of missing Austin mom
Published April 12, 2015, Updated April 13, 2015

[MuffyBee]

This is day 2 of the trial.  Here is reporter Chris Sadeghi's twitter addy: https://twitter.com/chrissadeghi

http://kxan.com/2015/04/14/george-de-la-cruz-murder-trial-enters-day-2/
Missing mom’s social media posts seemed ‘out of character’
April 14, 2015

[MuffyBee]

The article below has some interesting background details regarding the case:

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/jury-selection-begins-in-murder-trial-of-george-de/nksRY/
Prosecutors: Man killed estranged wife, then staged her ‘disappearance’
April 13, 2015

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/crime/2015/04/14/family-co-workers-testify-in-de-la-cruz-murder-trial/25769627/
Family, coworkers testify in De la Cruz murder trial
April 14, 2015

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/crime/2015/04/15/missing-mother-was-in-abusive-relationship-family-says/25816681/
Missing mother was in abusive relationship, family says
April 15, 2015


AUSTIN -- Family members of a missing Austin mother say she had an abusive relationship with her estranged husband.

George De la Cruz is on trial for the murder of Julie Ann Gonzalez, who disappeared in March of 2010 and still has not been found.

In day three of the trial, Gonzalez's sister, Samantha Soto Petri, testified. Petri recalled one time when Gonzalez and De la Cruz got into an argument and her sister came out shaking, with a red face, claiming he slapped her.

"She was shaking because she was really scared and she told me that she was scared. I was sitting there because I was trying to calm her down because she was crying a lot and she was even sweating because she just got so nervous and she was having a panic attack," Petri said.

She also recalled another time when De la Cruz forcefully grabbed Gonzalez by the arm and yanked her. Petri also said Gonzalez wanted a divorce from De la Cruz, but her sister said he was obsessed with her and he would not sign the papers.

Petri told the jury she saw her sister several days before she disappeared when she came over for dinner with her 2-year-old daughter, Layla. Petri said Gonzalez appeared worried about something.
 

Investigators also took the stand Wednesday. First was Detective John Brooks, who took the missing persons report from family in 2010.

Brooks said he met Gonzalez's family in the Walgreens parking lot after they located Gonzalez's gold Chevrolet Impala there. Then he went a few blocks away to De la Cruz's house. De la Cruz gave police permission to search the house and officers searched every room and the back yard, where they found two sheds.

"The larger shed on the right had a plank cut out in the middle of it. It was freshly cut, there was sawdust and we lifted that and looked underneath and there was a trench dug in to the dirt underneath the shed that looked recently dug," Brooks said. "It just looked very out of place. I couldn't come up with a logical reason why that would be there."

He said the hole measured about four feet wide and two feet deep.

"I was told by George that someone else dug it for plumbing when they were going to turn it into an apartment," Brooks said.

Defense attorneys pointed out that De la Cruz willingly let police in and they did not find a crime scene -- no blood, weapons, fibers or any similar evidence.

Brooks said he noticed scratches on De la Cruz's face that day but didn't think it looked suspicious enough to document.

After lunch, another officer testified he took a report from a neighbor who noticed a suspicious man in a gold impala at De la Cruz's house on the Friday she went missing.

Detective Tony Hogue also investigated after Gonzalez disappeared. He said he pulled MySpace and Facebook account information for Gonzalez and De la Cruz as well as Gonzalez's phone records and credit card activity. He said the afternoon she disappeared, someone made three transactions on her card from Walmart and McDonald's. Hogue said surveillance video appeared to show De la Cruz using the card. They found images of him pushing Layla in a shopping cart at the store.

[MuffyBee]

http://kxan.com/2015/04/15/george-de-la-cruz-murder-trial-enters-day-3/
Trench was found dug in De La Cruz backyard
April 15, 2015

AUSTIN (KXAN) — During their first search through George De La Cruz’s home in 2010, investigators said they found a freshly dug trench under a backyard shed. Detective John Brooks testified Wednesday the trench was approximately 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep and was covered by a plank of plywood which appeared to have freshly cut sawdust on it.

“It looked very out of place,” said Brooks on the stand. “I couldn’t come up with a logical reason why it would be there. I was told by George somebody else dug it for plumbing when they were going to turn it into an apartment.

De La Cruz is on trial for his estranged wife’s murder, though the body of Julie Ann Gonzalez has never been found since her disappearance on March 26, 2010. Days after she vanished, her family called Brooks to the Walgreen’s where her car was discovered. Brooks was investigating her disappearance as missing person case and went to the home of George De La Cruz to talk with him since he was one of the last people to see Gonzalez.

While there, Brooks asked to search the home and De La Cruz allowed him access to anywhere inside and the two sheds outside. When the trench was discovered, Brooks said he notified investigators but did not preserve the scene because, at the time, it was still just a missing person case rather than a homicide investigation. When asked if he would have investigated the scene differently knowing a potential murder may have taken place, Brooks said he would have.

Under cross-examination, defense attorneys pointed out investigators did not notice anything suspicious in any other part of the house or any kind of change in De La Cruz’s demeanor. Earlier testimony eluded to scratches on De La Cruz’s face the day after Gonzalez went missing, but Brooks said he did not photograph or document the scratches because he thought they were most likely scratches caused by the man’s two-year-old daughter.

DEBIT CARD USED

Surveillance video shows George De La Cruz inside a Walmart with Layla at the same time charges were made to Julie Ann Gonzalez’s debit card. Detective Tony Hogue said De La Cruz made purchases at the McDonald’s inside Walmart and also purchased baby shampoo, baby wipes, and a video game using Gonzalez’s card on the same day she went missing.

Hogue said a search warrant executed weeks later at De La Cruz’s home found many of the items he purchased that day as well as the same clothes he appeared to be wearing in the surveillance. There was no sign of Gonzalez in the Walmart at the time bank records show the purchases were made.

In earlier testimony, an overnight Walgreen’s employee said a woman entered the store and asked if she could leave her car in the parking lot overnight without getting towed. This Walgreen’s location at Stassney and S. 1st is where Gonzalez’s car was found the day after she was last seen. The employee, Robert Guerra, said the woman came in at 1am and did not appear to be distressed, but he could not positively identify whether the woman was Gonzalez or not.

FAMILY RECALLS ARGUMENTS

After hearing Tuesday from several friends and family members who testified about Julie Ann Gonzalez’s unhappiness and arguments with husband George De La Cruz, her sister took the stand and recalled physical altercations. Samantha Petri, the younger sister of Gonzalez, told the jury that the last time she saw Gonzalez, she kept saying she “had a bad feeling” but that she couldn’t elaborate on what.

“In the beginning, it seemed very happy … but that really seemed to fade away as time went by,” said Petri, speaking about the progression of the relationship between De La Cruz and Gonzalez.

She noticed her sister started working harder, focusing more on her daughter. Petri says her sister seemed more stressed as time went by, and she seemed harder on herself.

Petri said De La Cruz was overbearing and aggressive with her sister, telling the jury about an argument where Gonzalez came out of her room with a red mark on her face and said De La Cruz had slapped her. She said she also saw De La Cruz grab Gonzalez by the arm and yank her toward him.

Like several friends and family members before her, Petri testified that Gonzalez was a devoted mother to her daughter, Layla, and would never leave her behind. She told jurors that Gonzalez did not trust leaving Layla with De La Cruz because he would not give her the proper care and asthma medication. As others have testified, Petri said there were texts and blog postings from Gonzalez after her disappearance that did not seem right. Those texts and posts instructed the family not to worry and that she was leaving town.

Focus then turned to Myspace posts made by De La Cruz after Gonzalez’s disappearance. In one posting, De La Cruz admitted to making mistakes, but went on to say that one of those mistakes gave him his daughter, Layla, and he vowed to be a good father for her. Another posting alludes to “getting back to the original” plan, although there is no mention of what that plan may be. Petri said it was concerning to her when De La Cruz referred to her as “SP” on Myspace, a nickname only Gonzalez would know — according to Petri.

The defense team cross-examined Petri by pointing out inconsistencies in her testimony Wednesday in comparison to her police statements at the time of Gonzalez’s disappearance in 2010, pointing out she never told investigators about the incident where De La Cruz grabbed Gonzalez by her arm. Petri was 14 years old at the time her sister vanished.

The next witness was Crystal Almaraz, a 911 calltaker who fielded a phone call from De La Cruz and his mother, Victoria De La Cruz, the day after Gonzalez was last seen. In the phone call played for the jury, De La Cruz tells Almaraz that his estranged wife did not pick up their daughter at the scheduled time and was in violation of the court order. He goes on to tell Almaraz about postings on Gonzalez’s Myspace which said she was leaving Texas with a new lover. In the phone call, De La Cruz said the two agreed to push back the pick-up date one day until Friday, but when Gonzalez showed up, she informed him she would be leaving Layla with him while she went out of town.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/crime/2015/04/16/police-interviews-shown-in-missing-womans-murder-trial/25880939/
Police interviews shown in missing woman's murder trial
April 16, 2015

AUSTIN -- For the first time, a Travis County jury is hearing from the man suspected of murdering his estranged wife. George De la Cruz is on trial for killing Julie Ann Gonzalez, who has been missing since March 26, 2010.

On Thursday morning, attorneys played recorded interviews police conducted with De la Cruz after Gonzalez disappeared.

In the video, Austin police Missing Persons Detective James Scott asked about the last time De la Cruz saw Gonzalez since he is allegedly the last person who did. De la Cruz stayed calm throughout the entire interview and he said she acted "weird" that day and kept her head down. He suggested she might be on drugs. De la Cruz also talked about Gonzalez's relationship with her family and said she often fought with her mother. Scott told him those family members believe he is responsible for her disappearance.
What do you think happened to Julie?" Scott asked in the video.

"They make me think a lot of things. Maybe she's a runaway," De la Cruz responded.

"I'll be honest, Julie's mom thinks you killed her," Scott said. "You didn't kill her, did you? I have to ask."

"No," De la Cruz replied.

Scott testified Wednesday he did not suspect foul play at the time but said, "hindsight is 20/20." At that point, he interviewed De la Cruz as a witness and not a suspect. Scott said family members and friends received text messages from Gonzalez after March 26 and told him they believed it to be her.

"Everyone that I asked said, 'Yeah, it sounds like the way she would type,' Scott said. "I believe her younger sister told me, 'She uses full sentences and uses punctuation. She doesn't use a lot of the texting slang.' And the messages appeared to be that way."

Scott said that in order for him to ping cell towers and geo-locate the phone, he would need an order from a judge, but at that time, he did not have enough information to do that, because Gonzalez did not appear to be in imminent danger.

During the interviews, Prosecutor Gary Cobb pointed out that De la Cruz never discussed abuse in the relationship. On Wednesday, family members testified he was physical with Gonzalez and she was scared of him.

Cobb also pointed out that, in that interview, De la Cruz did not tell investigators he used her credit card after she went missing. On Wednesday, attorneys showed surveillance video that appeared to show him using the car at Walmart and McDonalds the day she disappeared.

The jury also watched a second video Thursday of a second interview De la Cruz did with police done about a month after Gonzalez disappeared. De la Cruz said the couple had problems in the marriage and Gonzalez wanted a divorce and was rushing him to sign the papers, but he said he did not have the money or the time to do it. Attorneys said earlier this week he signed the papers three days after she disappeared.

In the second recorded interview, De la Cruz also talked about the relationship Gonzalez had with her mother, Sandra Soto. He said they had problems too and he could see Soto having something to do with her disappearance, but did not believe she would harm Gonzalez. He said he had been watching the interviews on television, and it was always Gonzalez's aunt being interviewed, not her mother. He said he believed the aunt was faking her tears and he thought the family knew something about the disappearance.

In the interviews, De la Cruz said he learned Gonzalez had a new boyfriend, Aaron Breaux, after she disappeared. Prosecutors claim that was a lie because De la Cruz had a picture of Gonzalez and Breaux saved on his phone.

"I was duped," Scott said.

"Was it fair to say you underestimated him?" asked Cobb.

"Yes," Scott replied.

Cobb often stopped the recording to point out "red flags" and statements De la Cruz made that detectives now believe were lies.

investigators who executed the search warrant on his home in May 2010 also testified. They found a baseball bat, bullets, Gonzalez's gym card and a torn up picture of her that had been taped back together. In the back yard, they found a recently dug hole underneath a shed.

Defense attorneys stressed that no one knows for sure Gonzalez is dead since they did not find her body or a crime scene.

Video