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The husband of a Brampton, Ont., woman killed in July of 2006 has been found guilty of second-degree murder.
A jury deliberated for only around 30 minutes at a Brampton courthouse on Friday before convicting Henry Morales in the murder of his wife Malena Morales.
Days after Malena was found dead in the couple’s Brampton apartment, having been strangled to death with several broken ribs, Henry fled the country, leading to an international manhunt.
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Morales was eventually arrested in Mexico in 2020, after being on the run for nearly 14 years. He was then extradited back to Canada.
During the trial, Henry took the stand and admitted to killing Malena, but claimed he was provoked.
Henry’s lawyers urged the jury to find Henry guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
However, the Crown told the jury to reject Henry’s story, adding that Malena had been the victim of abuse at the hands of Henry before.
During the trial, Malena’s brother, Freddy Alcivar, testified via Zoom from Ecuador and said in early 2006, Malena travelled to Ecuador with the couple’s two young children to visit. Henry joined the family later and Malena told her brother that she wanted to get a divorce.
Alcivar told the jury that one day in February 2006, Malena called him while he was at the beach and told him there was a problem. When Alcivar arrived home, he testified that she told him that Henry had assaulted her and filed a police report.
Later, after she returned to Canada in March, she emailed her brother’s daughter and asked if she could have her mother send her the police report to help her with the divorce.
Malena’s sister, Lissette Franco, previously told Global News that it was a “relief” for the family when Henry was finally arrested.
Franco said her sister had died in a very “cruel, brutal (and) unfair way,” adding that she “deserves justice.”
Franco said Malena was “always smiling.”
“Her kindness just radiated and people just loved her and I always say she was my role model,” she said in an interview with Global News.
Franco told Global News she was in court when the verdict was read.
She said Henry “just kept looking straight,” and was “stone cold.”
Franco said she is “thankful justice has been served.”
A sentence hearing for Henry is set to be held in February.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.