Flores Found Guilty Of Murdering Maria Luisa Corral

EL PASO, TX. – Richard Flores has been sentenced to 99 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,000.

The announcement came late Friday afternoon after the jury finished hearing witness testimony from family members of both Maria Luisa Corral and Richard Flores. Both Corral’s brother, Manuel, and mother, Maria Eloisa were among those called.

Richard Flores had been found guilty late Thursday of murdering his fiancee, Maria Luisa Corral, and stuffing her body in a closet before fleeing to Mexico.

The jury spenttwo hoursdeliberating theevidence presentedin the case, noting that Flores’ defense team didn’t call a single witness. Prosecutors were able to admit Flores’ confession into evidence and the jury heard it Wednesday along with viewing graphic photos of the crime scene.

Closing arguments were completed Thursday morning in the trial of Richard Flores, accused of murdering the 20 yr-old mother of his three children. The case has now been handed over to the jury and if convicted, Flores faces five years to life in prison.

The defense argued in their closing arguments that Flores’ hour and twenty minute confession, which was played for the jury on Wednesday, was taken illegally without the presence of his attorney. In that confession, Flores described in graphic detail how he, his cousin and a friend murdered Corral under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Flores’ attorneys also contend that the physical evidence, including fingerprints on the duct tape used to bind Corral were not definitively proven to be Flores’. The state countered that there was enough evidence to convict Flores without either the prints or the confession, reminding the jury of 5 men and 7 women that Flores had told at least three people including his own mother that he was going to kill Corral for “ruining his life.”

The state ended its statement by pointing out that Flores had shown no remorse during his confession and was only concerned about himself, demonstrated through his final remarks to police when he asked them how much prison time he would receive for the crime.

Judge Gonzalo Garcia decided to allow Flores’ confession into evidence for Wednesday. After Flores’ attorneys objectedto showing the jury a taped confession Richard Flores made to police last year, the integrity of that confession was still challenged by the defense. The state called the police detectives in charge of the case, Arturo Ruiz, to the stand.

During cross examination, the prosecutor showed a card that showed Flores had been read his Miranda rights before the confession. The defense argues there was a time lapse of almost an hour and a half after his rights were read and before his confession, that was not recorded, nor for which there is anaccounting. Defense attorneys proposeFlores could have been pressured to admit to the murder during that time.

They also claim El Paso police officers didn’t check if Flores was on medication in spite of knowing drugs had been prescribed to him during the investigation. Another point of the defense is that Flores had been beaten when he was arrested in Mexico and was afraid of the police department officers at the time.

Detective Ruiz testified there was nothing about Flores behavior that day to “raise alarm” and that they deemed him competent. He also did not recall that Flores had been beaten in Mexico. As for the time lapse that was not recorded, Diaz said it was standard police procedure.

Prosecutors presented more than 100 pieces of evidence in the trial of the man who allegedly killed his girlfriend and hid her body in a closet.

Richard Flores, 21, faces life in prison if convictedof the 2005 murder of his one-time girlfriend, 20 year-old Maria Luisa Corral. Corral was the mother of Flores’ three daughters. Tuesday, Dr. Juan Contine, who performed the autopsy onCorral back in 2005, testified that the cause of her death was asphyxiation due to strangulation.

Court documentsindicate Corral was found strangled and her body was wrapped in garbage bags and duct tape before being stuffed in Flores’ closet. The jury also viewed gruesome pictures taken during the autopsy. The photos showed bruises on the murdered woman’s face and damage from hemorrhaging.

The trial is taking its toll on the family of Flores. “A lot of stress, you know, because we love him very much. My grandma, she’s always praying because she can’t come over here and see him. She is really sad,” said Emily Gallarzo, Flores’ cousin.