Chilling testimony alleges murder suspect asked others for help disposing of High Point University student’s body – Queen City News

Elijah Skipper and Emily Mikkelsen

8 minutes ago

HIGH POINT, NC (WGHP) — The trial has begun for a man accused of killing a High Point University student in 2021 before fleeing to Tennessee.

Michael Cadogan is accused of murdering Gianna Delgado, who was 19 and attending High Point University at the time. Cadogan was 24 at the time of the murder.

Authorities say they were called to Pallas Way in High Point on June 21, 2021, to check on Delgado after a report that she had been assaulted. She was not found at her apartment, and Cadogan was identified as the suspect.

Cadogan reportedly contacted a woman he knew and told her he had strangled Delgado during an argument and that he needed help disposing of her car and body in Tennessee.

She reported the murder to the local police and they found Cadogan with Delgado’s body in the car.

He was extradited from Carter County to High Point and remained in the Guilford County Jail awaiting trial.

Monday

On Monday, the court began selecting jurors for the trial, and the High Point Enterprise reported that Guilford County District Court Judge Tonia Cutchin expects the trial to last two to three weeks.

Approximately 50 potential jurors were recruited to form the 12-person jury.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, the woman Cadogan contacted in the hours after he allegedly killed Delgado testified to explain her phone calls with him and her cooperation with police.

She says she met Cadogan on Snapchat before June 21, and that he called her and told her he had made a mistake. While FaceTimed with the woman, Cadogan allegedly showed her Delgado’s body.

Cadogan had told the woman he had punched and strangled Delgado during an argument over her alleged cheating.

She said she stayed on the phone with him while he bought supplies to clean up the crime scene, and he told her what kind of vehicle he would be in. On the stand, she explained that she had her cousin record the calls Cadogan made to her.

She then went to the police with the recordings they had made of Cadogan’s phone conversations. He reportedly continued to call her repeatedly, even while she was speaking to officers.

An investigator who had spoken to the witness the night of Delgado’s murder testified after her and also referred to the taped evidence.

A video was shown to jurors and courtroom attendees that appeared to show Cadogan calling the witness. During the call, the woman tried to incriminate Cadogan by asking him if he planned to throw Delgado’s body in the lake or drive her car into it. He hung up, but called back and said he never thought he would get so angry.

Delgado’s family was present in the courtroom and appeared emotional as the video was played, but Cadogan sat with an expressionless look on his face, surrounded by officers.

Wednesday

Wednesday was another day of heavy testimony, with the trial resuming at 9:30 a.m. and more evidence presented to jurors and the courtroom. The testimony brought one juror to tears.

The first witness on Wednesday was a woman who had worked with Cadogan at Amazon and had an on-and-off relationship with the defendant. She said on the stand that Cadogan had called her on June 21, 2021, and asked her to help move something, but he wouldn’t say what. She declined, but he asked a few more times.

Then an investigator from Carter County, Tennessee, spoke up and described the scene after an officer pulled him over that night. They photographed the scene and moved the vehicle to a safe location.

In court, they showed the crime scene investigator’s photos. It included letters and items addressed to Delgado, $1,500 in cash, a burner phone, and prepaid cards. They then showed photos of what was in the black and red bag found in the car: Delgado’s remains, covered in bleach and black garbage bags. That bag was also brought into court sealed in a biohazard bag.

In the afternoon, members of the High Point Police Department took the floor to discuss the crime scene in High Point. A detective said they had used a spray solution and found blood on the walls of the apartment the two shared.

The trial will continue on Thursday.