Cayley Mandadi, 19, was a normal adolescent from Texas who had to balance school, athletics, and boys. Friends said she was full of love and had a big heart. According to her mother, Cayley was a cheerful individual who was warm, trustworthy, and constantly grinning.
Mandadi attended Trinity University, a small liberal arts college in San Antonio, Texas, as a sophomore studying communications. In the fall of 2017, Mandadi’s friends say she finally felt like she belonged at school. She participated in the Trinity cheerleading squad and joined a sorority.
A new man in Mandadi s life
Another man in Mandadi’s life was 22-year-old Mark Howerton. As a child, Howerton excelled at baseball in high school.
Although Howerton did not attend Trinity, he often went to see his pals there. He met Mandadi in this manner. Their friendship turned into a sexual partnership by October 2017.
A rocky relationship
Howerton allegedly damaged her laptop, cracked a sliding glass door, and threw her clothes in the trees following a fight. Howerton was prohibited from the campus after the Trinity University Police Department was dispatched to the scene.
A weekend of partying
Over the final weekend of October 2017, Mandadi and Howerton traveled to San Antonio to attend the Mala Luna Music Festival. The pair used MDMA, sometimes referred to as Ecstasy or Molly. A music event is where this picture was taken.
Tragedy strikes
Howerton claims that the couple left Mala Luna about 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 29, 2017. When Mandadi’s ex-boyfriend Jett Birchum showed up at the event, they got into a fight.
Howerton claims that after arguing in the car, they stopped for rough make-up sex in a parking lot. Mandadi stopped breathing immediately after having sex, according to Howerton’s later statement to the authorities. Eventually, he took her to the emergency room.
A disturbing scene
Mark Howerton s hands
Officers on the scene asked Mark Howerton about what had happened that evening while medical professionals worked to save Mandadi’s life. His hands were photographed by them.
Mark Howerton arrested
Three months after Mandadi’s death, the autopsy report was made public. Her death was determined to be a homicide after it was discovered that she had suffered blunt force trauma to her head and face. Howerton was taken into custody and accused of sexual assault and murder a few weeks later. After entering a not guilty plea, he was freed on bond.
Defending Mark Howerton
Howerton was put on trial for Mandadi’s murder in San Antonio in December 2019.
John Hunter, Howerton’s defense lawyer, told 48 Hours that this is a situation where things aren’t what they seem and there’s more to it than meets the eye.
Mandadi s ex-boyfriend takes the stand
Birchum described his observations of the Mala Luna Music festival to the jury during the trial. He claimed to have seen Mandadi attempting to make room and flee while Howerton and Mandadi were engaged in a heated discussion. Then, he said, he observed Howerton put his right arm around her shoulder and draw her closer. Then turn around and leave.
Hunter asked Birchum about what he said he witnessed that day during cross-examination. When they left the festival, Birchum first reported to the police that he seen Howerton pick Mandadi up and put her in his car. On the witness stand, Birchum acknowledged that he had lied to the police by saying he had not witnessed Howerton loading Mandadi into his vehicle.
The defense theory
A different explanation for Mandadi’s injuries that day is offered by the defense. They contend that the medical personnel, not Howerton, was responsible for Mandadi’s bruises. They say the organ donation process was the reason, and medical staff shattered one of Mandadi’s ribs and injured her body during seven attempts to resuscitate her.
A hung jury pushes Mandadi s parents to start their own investigation
The jury informed the judge that they were unable to reach a verdict after two days and ten hours of deliberations. It was pronounced a mistrial.
Prosecutors intended to retry Howerton, but Cayley’s stepfather Lawrence Baitland and mother Alison Steele (pictured) felt the jury needed more details about what transpired inside Howerton’s vehicle.
Mandadi s parents develop their own theory
Steele and Baitland concentrated on an autopsy image that revealed a bigger bruise above Cayley’s left ear and a little dot-shaped bruise above Cayley’s right ear.
Steele thinks Howerton killed Cayley by reaching out from his driver’s seat, hitting her in the left ear, and then driving her head into the window and onto the car’s lock button.
During their visit to a used vehicle yard, Steele and Baitland posed in a Mercedes that resembled the one Howerton was driving the night Cayley was murdered.
Baitland took a number of pictures of Steele posing in the automobile, including this one. According to him, she took pictures of her head in various poses over the course of 48 hours while holding the autopsy pictures in order to see if they matched the door, and they almost exactly did.
Mandadi s stepfather develops a 3D model
Encouraged by his photographs, NASA engineer Lawrence Baitland built a three-dimensional model of Mandadi’s head. He combined images of Cayley with the autopsy image that revealed the dot over Cayley’s right ear.
According to Baitland, this gave me the courage to move on to the next phase, which was to find the killer’s vehicle.
Tracking down the alleged killer s car and commissioning a reenactment video
Bailtland found the Mercedes belonging to Howerton. He convinced the car’s owner to sell it to him.
Then, using actors around the size of Mandadi and Howerton, Baitland and Steele engaged a private investigator to produce a reenactment film of what they think happened in the automobile. This still image is taken from the video.
Howerton found guilty of aggravated assault at his second trial
In May 2023, Howerton appears in court at the start of his second trial.
Fearing that the defense would cross-examine the reenactment video of Steele and Baitland, the prosecution decided not to use it as evidence.
The jury found Howerton guilty of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury but not murder. He received a sentence of up to 20 years in jail. In May 2033, he will be eligible for parole.
Mandadi s parents continue to fight for victims
Friends forever
Taylor Clement’s best friend will always be remembered. She revealed to 48 Hours that she had always intended to have Mandadi serve as both her future children’s godmother and maid of honor at her wedding. According to her, her favorite picture is of them grinning during prom.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
ChiefsFocus is a dedicated news writer with extensive experience in covering news across the United States. With a passion for storytelling and a commitment to journalistic integrity, ChiefsFocus delivers accurate and engaging content that informs and resonates with readers, keeping them updated on the latest developments nationwide.