GUILTY TX - Andreen McDonald, 29, found deceased, Bexar County, 1 Mar 2019 *husband arrested*

[PommyMommy]

DEC 29, 2022

12 high-profile trials to watch in 2023 in San Antonio

High-profile court cases we're watching in the new year

www.ksat.com

Andre McDonald is seen walking into a court room on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. (KSAT)

The trial for Andre McDonald that was expected in 2021 looks to now begin on Jan. 17.

McDonald is accused of the 2019 murder of his wife Andreen McDonald. After a four month search her remains were found on a private property in north Bexar County.

After a reset in Oct. 2021 McDonald’s bond was lowered and he was able to get out of jail.

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 11, 2023

MURDER OF ANDREEN MCDONALD HEADS TO TRIAL JAN 17TH

Andre Mcdonald Will Be Tried for the 2019 Murder of His Wife Andreen Mcdonald Beginning January 17th Andre McDonald’s trial is on the docket and expected to begin on January 17, 2023. McDonald is accused of murdering his wife, Andreen McDonald, in 2019, and burning her remains. Related posts...

saobserver.com

Andre McDonald’s trial is on the docket and expected to begin on January 17, 2023.

[...]

... The trial, originally scheduled for 2021, was reset in October 2021 as prosecutors were still investigating and also had witnesses to arrange to be here from out of state that are in the FBI and the military. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office was still giving prosecutors evidence which needed to be thoroughly looked through. This evidence came just a few weeks before the 2021 trial date causing the reset and also giving Andre McDonald a lower bond which he was able to meet and has been out of jail since October 2021.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

LIVE in three days. KSAT already has their stream up.

Murder trial of Andre McDonald, Air Force Major accused of killing his wife​

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The trial of Andre McDonald, an Air Force major charged with the 2019 murder of his wife, Andreen, will be heard in Bexar County's 399th District Court by presiding Judge Frank Castro.

KSAT will be streaming the entire proceedings, from gavel to gavel, on KSAT.com, KSAT Plus and YouTube. Subscribe to our channel for more San Antonio and Texas news and livestreams. #truecrime #live #court #trial #texas #sanantonio #andremcdonald

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 17, 2023

Trial of former Air Force major accused of murdering his wife in 2019 begins on Tuesday

SAN ANTONIO - The long-awaited trial of a former Air Force Major is set to get underway.Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday in the trial of Andre McDo

foxsanantonio.com

The long-awaited trial of former Air Force Major Andre McDonald gets underway Tuesday with jury selection.

Jury selection underway for Air Force Major accused of killing his wife in 2019

San Antonio- Jury selection began for the man accused of killing his wife and burning her body in 2019. Air Force Major Andre McDonald is charged with first deg

news4sanantonio.com

McDonald was present during the first day of jury selection. He appeared confident walking into the courtroom with his attorneys by his side.

Jury selection begins in trial of Andre McDonald

McDonald is the Air Force Major who was arrested in connection to wife's disappearance and murder back in 2019.

www.kens5.com

An arrest warrant suggests the couple's six-year-old daughter witnessed McDonald’s attempts to dispose of his wife’s body.
Judge Castro dismissed the jury until Monday when opening arguments are expected to begin. The rest of the week will entail arguments regarding the defense team's motion to dismiss evidence. Court reconvenes Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Andre McDonald is still an Air Force major. His murder trial could change that.

The San Antonio man and U.S. Air Force remains on assignment in a reserve role.

www.kens5.com

It's unknown how long the trial will last now that it's finally underway in Bexar County, but McDonald's Air Force assignment may be impacted if he's found guilty.

Military officials tell KENS 5 that, depending on how it all develops, McDonald could also be involved in a board of inquiry process "comprised of senior military members" that will independently examine the allegations. That wouldn't happen until his trial is over.

A board of inquiry typically takes three to four months, officials said. In the meantime, "his unit leadership remains in contact with him."

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 18, 2023

Pretrial deliberations underway in Andre McDonald case

Opening statements aren't expected to happen until Monday in the murder case.

www.kens5.com

The jury members selected for the trial of Andre McDonald – the U.S. Air Force major accused of murdering his wife, Andreen McDonald, and disposing of her body – won't be in the courtroom until next week, when opening statements are expected to be made.

But Wednesday's pretrial proceedings still yielded chilling testimony about the day Andreen went missing in early 2019.

They proceedings centered around arguments in response to the defense team's motion to suppress evidence they believe was illegally obtained. One of Andreen's friends, as well as her mother, were among the handful of witnesses who took the stand to recall their actions on March 1 of 2019, when she was reported missing.

[...]

More witnesses are expected to take the stand Thursday as pretrial proceedings continue, including a witness introduced by the defense.

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[PommyMommy]

JAN 18, 2023

Jury not around to hear murder trial testimony of affair by victim Andreen McDonald

Prosecutors and defense attorneys argued over which evidence the jury will be allowed to...

www.expressnews.com

(Paywalled article, main points summarized by me)

• Andreen's mother acknowledged that Andreen was having an affair with a man in Jamaica
• The defense questioned whether search warrants were properly executed
• The jury is expected to begin hearing testimony Monday
• Andreen's friend, CG, testified that Andreen told her that arguments with her husband had become physical
• Andreen told CG many times that if anything happened to her it was probably Andre

Murdered mother's child receives support

San Antonio- Court resumed this morning with pre-trial motions for Andre McDonald. The Air Force Major accused of killing his wife Andreen McDonald back in 2019

news4sanantonio.com

Simple things, Allen says the little girl will never again experience with her mother. The tragedy Allen says Elena talks about. “She misses her mother, she talks about her and she's able to relay a lot of her feelings," said Allen.

Elena may be autistic, but Allen said she’s considered high functioning. “So, she’s able to function, dress herself, feed herself. That misconception of her not able to operate that is just not the case with her,” said Allen.

Allen does keep in close contact with Andreen’s mother, who Elena now lives with. She knows no one will replace her mother. “There are things her mother did for her, and the way her mother cared for her that no one else is going to be able to do,” said Allen.

 

[PommyMommy]

WATCH LIVE: Day 2 of pretrial motions in Andre McDonald murder trial​

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WATCH LIVE: Day 3 of pretrial motions in Andre McDonald murder trial​

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[PommyMommy]

JAN 19, 2023

WATCH LIVE: Day 2 of pretrial motions in Andre McDonald murder trial

A judge will continue to hear arguments Thursday regarding the defense team’s motion to dismiss evidence in the murder trial of an Air Force major accused of killing his wife.

www.ksat.com

[...]

Ghanbar said through her friendship with Andreen McDonald, she revealed her marriage was having problems and that arguments with Andre McDonald often got physical.

She said she went to the McDonalds’ home to look for Andreen McDonald and entered the house after nobody answered the door. She said she noticed blood and hair on a light switch in Andreen McDonald’s bathroom.

[...]

Andreen McDonald’s mother, Maureen Smith, also took the stand. She was living at the home with Andreen and Andre McDonald.

Smith was working the night her daughter disappeared, but she allowed BCSO to go into the home when they arrived. The defense questioned her about giving permission for BCSO to search the home that she did not own.

Both Smith and Ghanbar testified that Andreen McDonald was having an alleged affair with a man in Jamaica and had visited him a little over a month before she disappeared.

[...]

BCSO search warrants scrutinized in second day of pretrial hearing in Andre McDonald case

More arguments were heard on the second day of a pretrial hearing in the case of Air Force Major Andre McDonald.

www.ksat.com

[...]

In one particular instance, Hunter said the day after Andreen McDonald was reported missing, a welfare check was done on Andre McDonald by BCSO deputies. He said they unlawfully went into the home through an open window.

“There was no sign of anything out of the ordinary,” Hunter said. “We have a warrantless entry into a home.”

The state countered by saying that when deputies arrived, they noticed the garage door was off the hinges and broken. That gave them probable cause to look inside to ensure nobody was hurt.

Judge Frank Castro agreed with that notion and denied the motion regarding those warrants being suppressed.

[...]

 

[JerseyGirl]

Judge issues rulings on pretrial motions in Andre McDonald murder trial; testimony to start on Monday

A judge will continue to hear arguments Friday regarding the defense team’s motion to dismiss evidence in the murder trial of an Air Force major accused of killing his wife.

www.ksat.com

The actual trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Monday. If found guilty, Andre McDonald faces up to life in prison.

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 20, 2023

Judge issues rulings on pretrial motions in Andre McDonald murder trial; testimony to start on Monday

A judge will continue to hear arguments Friday regarding the defense team’s motion to dismiss evidence in the murder trial of an Air Force major accused of killing his wife.

www.ksat.com

[...]

“As far as the illegal arrest, I’m going to grant the defense motion suppress on that. As far as this written note. Y’all know what note I’m talking about, where he’s putting down gas cans, flashlights, batteries, I’m going to suppress for defense attorney. I’m going to suppress the medical records. As far as the rest of the motions, suppress is denied.”

During the trial, the judge will not allow the mention of the defendant being arrested outside a gun shop two days after his wife disappeared, or that a handwritten note was found in his pocket during the time of that arrest that listed items like gas cans, flashlights and bags. Medical records of the defendant’s evaluation at Brooke Army Medical Center will also suppressed.

But Castro’s rulings also gave the prosecution some wins.

Search warrants that mention Andreen’s friend finding blood and hair in her bathroom and Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputies finding a shovel will be allowed, as well as testimony from Andreen McDonald’s mother, Maureen Smith.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Sure wish I could watch this one. If anyone can post updates, please do!

JAN 23, 2023

Air Force Major Andre McDonald admitted to killing his wife, victim's family testifies

Bombshell testimony in the courtroom Monday revealed an alleged confession by Air Force Major Andre McDonald, who faces life in prison if convicted.

www.kens5.com

Opening statements will start on Monday in the trial of Air Force Major Andre McDonald, who faces life in prison if found guilty of killing his wife.

[...]

The trial is expected to last a few weeks.

 

[JerseyGirl]

WATCH LIVE: Andre McDonald guilty on lesser charge of manslaughter

A jury on Friday found Andre McDonald guilty on a lesser charge of manslaughter in the death of his wife, Andreen McDonald, in 2019.

www.ksat.com

Watch the full proceedings in the video player above and follow along as KSAT’s court reporter Erica Hernandez live tweets from the court room.

 

[PommyMommy]

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JAN 23, 2023

Air Force Major Andre McDonald admitted to killing his wife, victim's family testifies

Bombshell testimony in the courtroom Monday revealed an alleged confession by Air Force Major Andre McDonald, who faces life in prison if convicted.

www.kens5.com

[...]

The prosecution introduced Cindy Ann Johnson to the witness stand after delivering opening statements. Johnson, Andreen’s half-sister, said she missed a phone call from McDonald on Thursday night. She called back Friday morning and learned the grizzly details of what happened to Andreen.

Johnson said an argument about business at an H&R Block on Feb. 28 escalated into a physical confrontation at their home off Solitude Cove in north Bexar County. Johnson said the nature of the quarrel dealt with Andreen removing Andre's name off a property deed.

[...]

Johnson said Andre told her over the phone he stomped on Andreen with his foot while she was on the ground as their 6-year-old daughter Elena watched. She said Andreen didn't fight back.

The phone call revealed Andre noticed Andreen wheezing and then took his daughter to bed. After he returned, he noticed Andreen was dead.

[...]

Prosecutors asked why Andre told them about what he allegedly did to Andreen.

“He said he wanted me to know the truth," Smith said.

[...]

Other witnesses who testified Monday included Carol Ann Ghanbar, Andreen's friend who along with Elizabeth Cancel, visited the McDonald's residence after learning she was missing. Inside the bathroom, Ghanbar and Cancel discovered blood and hair on the light switch.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 24, 2023

Andre McDonald's murder trial continues after bombshell testimony of a confession

McDonald faces life in prison if found guilty of killing his wife in 2019.

www.kens5.com

[...]

Witnesses Tuesday included law enforcement and a former hospital worker who recounted his brief interaction with the defendant.

Brandon Gordon was working for Methodist Hospital during the time of Andreen’s disappearance.

The prosecution presented surveillance video from March 1, 2019, when Gordon had a short exchange with McDonald at the hospital.

[...]

Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputy Filiberto Gonzalez recalled his visit to the McDonald’s home in north Bexar County to perform a welfare check on March 1, the same day the defendant went to the hospital.

Gonzalez joined four women, including Andreen’s friend Carol Ann Ghanbar, who expressed concern over her disappearance after not answering the phone and failing to show up to work.

The deputy observed a burn pile in the backyard, blood on a bathroom light switch and noticed the floor gave off a strong odor of cleaning supplies.

Twenty-five minutes after Gonzalez arrived at the residence, he interacted with McDonald who had just arrived from the hospital. McDonald confirmed to Gonzalez that his wife was at the hospital but stopped short of providing any more substantive answers.

“I followed up and said, who told you that and then he said the guy at the front desk or the person at the front desk. I asked him what’s wrong with her. He said he didn’t know and I go, did you see her and he said no. And then I remember I responded to him. I go, if my wife was at the hospital I would want to see her what’s wrong with her,” Gonzalez said.

[...]

In addition to the hospital surveillance, the prosecution showed the jury text chains between Andre and Andreen, which illustrated a disagreement about a business decision the defendant just learned about.

In one of the WhatsApp messages, McDonald stated:

"Well, I'm done arguing. Point is, there is zero chance that I'm letting you purchase that building under that company. I'm not giving you 100% authority over any aspect of our business. I'm not going to insult you or yell at you, I'm just going to live by my own principles that protect myself from you under all circumstance."

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 24, 2023

Pictures of blood found in bedroom, burnt pile found in backyard shown to jury in Andre McDonald murder trial

Jurors in the trial of an Air Force major charged with killing his wife were shown evidence of blood and a burnt pile found at the couple’s home.

www.ksat.com

[...]

Gonzalez said he walked around Andre McDonald’s car and noticed some white powder on the tires and broken twigs on the outside of the trunk that seemed to indicate the vehicle had been driven off-road somewhere. The deputy then decided to contact a supervisor to get an investigator to search the home.

“It concerned me a lot, and I wanted it investigated properly,” he said.

Deputy Kristen Schroeder of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Team was sent to the McDonald home to take pictures and collect evidence.

Schroeder testified that she took more than 600 pictures at the home and collected 22 items.

Among the photos Schroeder took was the blood found on the light switch, on the door of a bathroom and the burnt pile in the backyard.

“There was burned plastic on the ground and throughout the area ... and also a zipper,” she testified.

Schroeder told jurors that Andreen McDonald’s purse and her cellphone were taken as evidence.

[...]

The jury also saw video of Andre McDonald the day after his wife was reported missing at a Lowe’s home improvement store on Loop 1604 and Blanco. The video showed the defendant buying several items, including two gas cans, a hatchet, a log splitter, some leather gloves and contractor bags.

Another video presented to the jury saw the defendant purchasing gasoline and putting it into the gas cans.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 25, 2023

What investigators found at Andre, Andreen McDonald’s home the day after she was reported missing

The day after the wife of an Air Force major was reported missing, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office investigators found evidence at the couple’s home that raised red flags.

www.ksat.com

[...]

Lozano told jurors that a team of deputies was dispatched to the McDonald’s home on March 2, 2019, to make a welfare check on Andreen, one day after she was reported missing by her mother. Lozano said the deputies found the garage door broken off its hinges. He said it raised a concern because the garage door was not broken the day before.

“It raised a red flag and we thought somebody was hurt,” Lozano said on the witness stand.

Lozano said when they went into the garage, they noticed a shovel in the back of a car. It was later revealed that Andre McDonald had allegedly backed into the garage door before leaving the home, which caused the damage. Lozano said a fellow deputy gained entry into the home through an open window, and when the team made it inside, they yelled to see if anyone was home. When they got no response, they left the home to get a search warrant.

After securing the search warrant, members of the BCSO Crime Scene Investigation team entered the home and found a shovel, a hammer, clothing, a flashlight, shoes, two gas cans hidden in trash bags and a torn-up receipt from a Lowe’s home improvement store. Video shown to the jury on Tuesday showed McDonald purchasing some of those items at that hardware store on Loop 1604 and Blanco Road. Andre McDonald was arrested on March 3 for tampering with evidence.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 25, 2023

Text messages reveal strained relationship between Andre and Andreen McDonald

The prosecution presented evidence of Andre and Andreen McDonald’s text message chains and how the conversations aligned with the location of their devices.

www.kens5.com

[...]

Authorities performed two searches of the McDonald’s residence on March 1 and 2. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office had teams tracking Andre McDonald’s movements, including at the gun shop before he was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence.

A geolocation analysis affirmed crime scene photos of the area where Andreen’s remains were found in July matched the same spot displayed on a Google Street View image.

The defendant looked up at the screen Wednesday afternoon as the prosecution presented photos of Andreen's remains, which were found off the road in a grassy area in north Bexar County.

Additional evidence shown to the jury included a shovel, hammer and flashlights, which were among the items listed in a torn up receipt from Lowe's.

Tuesday, the prosecution showed the jury text chains between Andre and Andreen, which illustrated another disagreement.

[...]

 

[Eli9]

Thanks for all of the updates @PommyMommy they are appreciated. Poor Andreen, she was a beautiful woman and driven in her professional life.

I'm quoting from the linked article above - why do you think the Air Force hasn't taken disciplinary action as of yet??

There have been some questions about if McDonald still holds his rank as major. We're told he does, partly because it's the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office that filed charges against him and not military officials.

The U.S. Air Force Reserve hasn’t taken disciplinary action against him so far. The ongoing trial is expected to last at least a few weeks.

 

[PommyMommy]

Thanks for all of the updates @PommyMommy they are appreciated. Poor Andreen, she was a beautiful woman and driven in her professional life.

I'm quoting from the linked article above - why do you think the Air Force hasn't taken disciplinary action as of yet??

There have been some questions about if McDonald still holds his rank as major. We're told he does, partly because it's the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office that filed charges against him and not military officials.

The U.S. Air Force Reserve hasn’t taken disciplinary action against him so far. The ongoing trial is expected to last at least a few weeks.

You're welcome. I suppose because he's considered innocent until proven guilty, but I suspect he'll be stripped of that rank very soon! MOO

 

[PommyMommy]

From court today - video of the location where Andreen's remains were found, evidence found at the home, and Andre showing no emotion.

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