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| source: Pioneer Press |
Cristina Prodan (27) was brutally murdered by her boyfriend Joseph Porter (25) on January 4th, 2018. Porter reportedly confessed to punching Cristina repeatedly in the face following an argument. Afterwards, he put her into a chokehold until she lost consciousness and then placed her body into a suitcase before fleeing to New Orleans to dispose of her body.
The savage attack took place inside Cristina’s home in Edina, Minnesota. The two met on Facebook during the previous year, but Porter was technically not a single man when he met Cristina. In fact, Porter was married to a man with whom he shared a home in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Once Porter moved into Cristina’s home, he reportedly began to show a violent side. According to Cristina’s mother, Porter raped Cristina and beat her service dog. He also was accused of killing a puppy in Arkansas. In December 2017, Cristina took out an order of protection against Porter. He was arrested for violating it right after it was put in place. Despite all of this, Cristina ultimately decided to let Porter back into her home.
Cristina’s family members were aware of Porter's violent tendencies, so they were inevitably worried when they learned that Cristina had taken him back. During the early morning hours of January 5th, 2018, Cristina’s mother grew so worried that she called the police and asked them to do a welfare check at Cristina’s home.
When the police arrived, they found the place disheveled, and Cristina and Porter were nowhere to be found.
Porter's car and run-ins with police.
Police entered Porter’s car into a database and discovered that he was stopped by a state trooper in Missouri on the evening of January 4th. The trooper noted that Porter was alone, and he had a large suitcase in the back of his car, along with a pickaxe and a shovel. Porter told the trooper that the tools were for his job.
About five hours later, he was pulled over in Arkansas, still in possession of the suitcase and tools. At this point, Porter’s welfare had been accounted for, but Cristina still remained missing.
A few days later, Porter had yet another run-in with law enforcement. This time, an Arkansas Officer spotted Porter sleeping in a car with burns all over his face.
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| source: CBS News |
It was noted that this car was different than the car he had previously been driving. The police would later learn that the vehicle had been stolen. When this particular officer asked Porter why he was sleeping in the car, he told him that he was having car troubles and was getting some rest before attempting to fix it again.
Cristina's phone.
Meanwhile, Cristina remained missing. On January 9th, officers investigating Cristina’s disappearance noticed that Cristina’s phone had been turned on in Cabot, Arkansas—the same area where the officer had spotted Porter sleeping in the car.
Investigators learned that Cristina’s phone had been pawned at the Wal-Mart in Cabot. Surveillance footage revealed that Porter and his husband were at Wal-Mart around the same time.
Porter's arrest and confession.
Porter then admitted that he placed brought Cristina’s body to New Orleans, Louisiana. There, Porter placed her body in a shipping container and then placed several tires on top of her. He used several gallons of gasoline, burning himself in the process as he attempted to burn any evidence of her body. Porter then left the scene.
Finding and identifying Cristina.
Investigators eventually learned that the New Orleans’ Fire Department had responded to a fire in a shipping container in the junk yard on January 6th, 2018. While extinguishing the flames, a badly burned body was found.
An autopsy later confirmed the remains belonged to Cristina Prodan. As such, Porter's confession was substantiated. Porter was ultimately charged with kidnapping and second-degree murder in relation to Cristina's case.
Guilty plea and sentencing.
On January 12th, 2019, Porter pleaded guilty to second-degree unintentional murder. Judge Holton Dimick sentenced Porter to 20 years in prison. The recommended sentence was 15 to 18 years, however after Porter admitted that he did not call the police after accidentally killing Cristina, the judge gave him a longer sentence.
At the sentencing, the judge told Porter, “When I read the criminal complaint, I thought I was watching a television movie of atrocious actions of a horrible person. I couldn’t believe how you treated this young lady.”
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20 years? Inexplicable! He should have received that much for raping her and beating her service dog. Not justice.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I was hoping for life but they didn't. All these stories about it and not person who got it right. He planned it for months. All the evidence was never released and his criminal history was left out. As was the fact she was pregnant and he beat her until she lost it. He will be out in a few years and I will vanish.
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