Texas City Man Sentenced to Probation for Concealing Woman’s Body in Trunk of Car

A Galveston County jury sentenced 49-year-old Christopher Lee Maldonado, of Texas City, to probation on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, for tampering with a corpse after Angela Mitchell’s decomposing body was found in the trunk of her car in 2022.

Mitchell was reported missing on May 6, 2022, after she failed to pick up her infant son. Her cousin used the Find My Friends app to track her iPhone to its last known location near Maldonado’s home. On May 11, Texas City Police Detective Larry Williamson located Mitchell’s car on 4th Avenue in Texas City. Officers noted flies and the odor of decomposition coming from the trunk. Texas City Fire Department personnel and homicide Detective Ralph Cardona opened the trunk, discovering Mitchell’s body.

Mitchell, a known sex worker, was last seen at Maldonado’s house in Lago Mar on May 5, 2022. The Medical Examiner was unable to determine her cause of death due to the state of decomposition but ruled out an overdose and natural causes.

Maldonado was indicted for tampering with a corpse, a second-degree felony, and went to trial on February 26, 2025. Prosecutors presented evidence that Mitchell’s last known location was Maldonado’s house, his cell phone showed their last contact on May 5, and screenshots of missing person posters were found on his phone.

Mike Medina, an acquaintance of Maldonado, testified that Maldonado paid him $200 on the night Mitchell disappeared to move her car. Medina, who did not initially know there was a body in the trunk, enlisted the help of two teenagers. One of the teens testified that she was asked to help move the vehicle for quick cash and later discovered the body. Cell phone records supported Medina’s account.

During the sentencing phase, Maldonado’s ex-wife testified that he had been manipulative, controlling, and had previously strangled her. Maldonado has a pending felony charge for strangulation assault related to that incident.

The jury found Maldonado guilty and sentenced him to five years in prison, but probated the sentence, requiring him to serve 120 days in jail and pay a $10,000 fine as part of a ten-year probation term.

The Galveston County Criminal District Attorney’s Office commended the Texas City Police Department and Dickinson Police Department for their efforts in the case.