SAN DIEGO (CNS) — An ex-Marine accused of murdering his girlfriend at an Allied Gardens apartment more than eight years ago was ordered today to stand trial on a murder charge.
Raymond Samuel McLeod Jr, 41, is accused of strangling a 30-year-old Krystal Mitchell on June 10, 2016, and then fleeing the country.
McLeod and Mitchell, who lived in Phoenix at the time, traveled to San Diego on June 9 to visit with a friend of McLeod's from his days in the U.S. Marine Corps. McLeod's friend found Mitchell dead in the apartment's spare bedroom the following day.
McLeod spent the next six years on the run, during which time he was on the U.S. Marshals' 15 Most Wanted List, according to law enforcement officials.
In 2022, he was arrested in El Salvador, where the U.S. Marshals' Office says he was teaching English under a different name.
After a three-day preliminary hearing, Deputy District Attorney Franciesca Balerio argued McLeod's flight from the United States and his aggressive behavior towards Mitchell on the night of her death were indicative of his intent to murder.
After arriving in San Diego, McLeod and Mitchell went to a local bar, where Balerio said McLeod put his hands on Mitchell, causing other bar patrons to intervene.
The couple was later spotted on surveillance footage at the apartment complex where Mitchell died, and McLeod can be seen putting his hand on the victim's throat as the couple entered an elevator.
The prosecutor also presented evidence regarding two prior incidents of domestic violence allegedly perpetrated by McLeod against two separate ex-wives. One of those incidents, which allegedly occurred about three months prior to Mitchell's death, involved allegations that he choked his ex-wife.
McLeod's defense team argued Mitchell's death was an accidental killing that happened during rough but consensual sex. To that end, the defense put on evidence regarding McLeod's sexual history and noted several incidents in which numerous willing, consenting partners allowed McLeod to choke them.
The defense, also called Dr. David Drew Pinsky -- known popularly as "Dr. Drew" and perhaps best known for hosting the radio show "Loveline" -- to the stand. Pinsky testified that choking during sex -- even sometimes intentionally to unconsciousness -- has become more commonplace.
Though Pinsky said it can be a dangerous act, he testified that many who engage in it are not appreciative of its risks.
One of McLeod's attorneys, Robert Sheehan, said there were no signs of a struggle or any indications that Mitchell resisted or fought back. Sheehan said McLeod's friend and his friend's girlfriend were in another nearby bedroom in the apartment, yet Mitchell did not call out to them for help.
"We have a loving couple, and we have sex gone wrong,'' Sheehan said.
The attorney conceded that McLeod should have immediately called 911 but said his flight does not prove his guilt.
"We are here because Mr. McLeod made the terrible decision to leave and not explain what happened," said Sheehan, who characterized McLeod's flight as similar to the actions of "a scared kid."
San Diego Superior Court Judge Kimberlee Lagotta cited the injuries Mitchell sustained -- namely three fractures to her voice box -- in rejecting the argument that her death was accidental.
"It's the severity of the injuries. It's the force required to cause those injuries that negate accident," Lagotta said.
McLeod remains in county jail without bail. He faces 25 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged.
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