Closing arguments were made in the trial of Paul Cortez, who is accused of murdering of his ex-girlfriend, Catherine Woods. Cortez's defense attorney Lauren Miranda tried again to suggest that the bloody thumb print, which matches Cortez, was from menstrual blood from lovemaking during Woods' period. She also reiterated that Woods' ex and roommate at the time, David Haughn (who, like Cortez,wears the same size as a bootprint found at the scene), could have been the killer. She called the yoga teacher a "gentle, caring, peaceful" man who had too much going for him to commit the crime.
Prosecutor Peter Casolaro was quick to discredit the defense's claim that the bloody thumb print claims. Casolaro explained to the jury that the blood was fresh (Woods had been violently slashed) and that the thumb had smeared blood from the scene; he added, "I can’t imagine any woman who would have a bloody menstrual handprint on her wall." Casolaro also noted that Cortez repeatedly called Woods on the day of her murder, but the calls stop right around the time of her death. From the AP:
Casolaro also cited circumstantial evidence against Cortez, including cell phone tower records that showed where he was when he made calls.
The prosecutor said Cortez repeatedly called Woods after 5 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2005, with short pauses between each call. After a 13-minute lapse, he started calling again. Casolaro said the lapse occurred when Cortez left home and took the subway to Woods' neighborhood around East 86th Street and First Avenue.
"You can tell where he is by the cell tower he's using," Casolaro says.
But Cortez made no calls between 5:56 p.m. and 6:33 p.m., "a 37-minute gap," the prosecutor said. "It just so happens that is the time of the murder."
The jury has the case now. Woods' mother told the Post, "We're very hopeful. We want him convicted."
