Pool Photo Courtesy of Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut
Members of Christine Holloway’s family sit behind Jose Morales as the jury delivers a verdict of guilty on all at his murder trial at state Superior Court in Milford April 22, 2025.
MILFORD — It only took a jury about two hours to find Jose Morales guilty of murdering Christine Holloway in Ansonia in December 2019.
The jury on Tuesday (April 22) also found Morales guilty of tampering with physical evidence.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 8.
Morales, 48, faces up to 65 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Morales beat Holloway to death inside her Myrtle Avenue apartment on Dec. 1, 2019. Their daughter, Vanessa Morales, has not been seen since Nov. 29, 2019. Her father was the last person to see Vanessa, now 6 years old.
Morales has not been charged in connection to his daughter’s disappearance. Circumstances involving her disappearance were not part of the murder trial.
Reaction
Vanessa’s family, and members of the Ansonia Police Department, have not given up hope of finding the child.
“Found guilty. God is good,” Holloway’s sister-in-law, Jodi Jacobellis, wrote in a Facebook post after the verdict arrived. “Chrissy, we fought for justice for you and we won. We love you and Vanessa so very much and we will not stop fighting for Vanessa.”
Jacobellis has attended Morales’ court proceedings regularly for years, along with other members of Holloway’s family. Relatives hugged after the verdict was read to the court.
(Left to right) Vanessa Morales with her mom, Christine Holloway.
Ansonia Police Lt. Patrick Lynch said the investigation into Vanessa’s disappearance needs cooperation from Jose Morales.
“We’re still at a disadvantage though, because the one person that was with her that we know, for sure was with her, is not talking to us,” Lynch said. “And he has a right not to talk to us, but we hope that he would know the importance of getting closure for everyone involved here.”
Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Howard Stein, who led the prosecution against Morales, thanked the jury on behalf of the family outside court after the verdict arrived.
“The family is thankful to them for reaching both verdicts of guilty on two counts of the information,” Stein said.
Pool Photo Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut
Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Howard Stein led the prosecution's case.
Stein said further comments could come after sentencing.
Lynch also thanked the jury on behalf of the Ansonia Police Department.
“We are very pleased with the outcome. We thought we had a strong case, and the jury kind of said we did, so we appreciate their effort, we appreciate their service,” Lynch said.
The Trial
Prosecutors said during the trial Morales was a controlling boyfriend who, after killing Holloway, spent some 36 hours meticulously cleaning the crime scene, and, two weeks later, concocted an elaborate lie involving home invaders and PCP.
Morales told the story about home invaders to the jury when he testified from the witness stand. Stein, in his closing argument, said Morales’ story sounded rehearsed and self-serving. He repeatedly challenged Morales’ credibility as a witness.
Morales’ story changed multiple times when talking to officers in the days after the murder. He and Holloway had been dating for three years at the time of her death, but he initially told police that their relationship wasn’t serious.
He first said he had last seen her on the morning of her death. Later, he said he hadn’t seen her since several days before her death. Finally, he said he was present when she died, but that he wasn’t the one who did it.
Morales didn’t convince the jury.
Evidence submitted in the case included bloody items recovered from a Kiducation donation bin, covered in Holloway’s blood and Morales’ DNA, cellular records showing that Morales’ phone and Holloway’s phone were together in the hours before and after her death, and video clips documenting that Morales was in and around Myrtle Avenue before and after Holloway was killed.
Morales took the stand, admitting he had cleaned up the crime scene and disposed of blood-stained clothing and other items.
The case went to the jury at about 4:05 p.m. Monday, April 21. Court recessed 25 minutes later. The jurors returned at 9:30 a.m. April 22. They had arrived at a verdict by 11:30 a.m.
The guilty verdicts were announced in open court at 12:10 p.m.
Edward Gavin, Morales’ lawyer, was not available for comment in Milford after court ended. He indicated in court that he may appeal the verdict.
Other Charges Still Pending
Morales has been in custody since Dec. 3, 2019, when police allegedly found two stun guns in his possession. He has not been prosecuted on those charges yet.
Stein said he will make a decision regarding those charges after sentencing. Those charges stem from New Haven, where Morales lived with his parents.
About Christine Holloway
Prosecutors described Holloway as a hard working and religious mother, who literally prayed to God to make their relationship work. Morales, meanwhile, was a part-time father who lashed out regularly at Holloway and forced control over her finances. He called Holloway names, and, just before Thanksgiving – less than a week before the murder – had referred to the relationship as“stupid.”
Holloway was 43 years old when she was killed. She grew up the oldest of five children, and was the first in her family to graduate from college, where she studied psychology. She worked at Bright Morning Star Child Care, a daycare in Bridgeport. Her obituary said she loved children, and was inseparable from Vanessa.
Holloway was a parishioner at St. Andrew’s Church in Bridgeport, and was a member of the Columbiettes, a Catholic women’s organization.
Jacobellis, in another public Facebook post, painted a picture of what Holloway was like.
“She was a beautiful daughter, sister, aunt, and mother. Chrissy would do anything for anyone, even if she didn’t know you, she would help you if you needed it,” Jacobellis wrote. “Chrissy was dedicated to her faith in God and her family’s church. Chrissy was a wonderful daycare teacher and loved to be around children and teach them all sorts of new things. Her contagious laugh would make the whole room start laughing.”
Search For Vanessa Morales Continues
Vanessa Morales, now six years old, remains missing. The investigation into her disappearance is ongoing. A court order has limited what can be said about Vanessa.
The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children released an age-progressed photo of Vanessa:
A $10,000 reward has been offered for information that leads to finding her. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Vanessa should call the Ansonia Police Department at 203 ‑735‑1885.
The following statement was posted by Jacobellis to The Valley Indy Facebook page:
“As my family and I have been dealing with the loss of my sister-in-law Christine and the constant worrying of Vanessa, justice was served today for Chrissy.
My family and I are grateful for all of the hard work the State’s Attorneys, the Ansonia PD, FBI, and the State Police have done for this investigation and trial. We are also grateful for the 12 jury members that took the time out of their own lives to serve justice for Chrissy.
There are so many emotions right now that we are going through, but we also want to thank everyone for their love, support, and continuous prayers for Chrissy, our family, and for Vanessa.
Now that this portion of our lives is done, we now can focus more on bringing home Vanessa to us again. I know we never stopped looking for Vanessa. We are constantly posting on all social media platforms for the public’s help.
Please continue sharing Vanessa’s new age progression photo and all the items, which by now she has outgrown someof those items. Vanessa will turn 7 years old on 9/07/2025. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.”
