A question no one could agree on: What caused Cayley’s bruises? | Forensic Files

it was October 30th 2017 and 19-year-old Kaylee mandad should have been enjoying
her sophomore year of college instead she was lying unconscious in a hospital bed with severe bruises from head to toe
kayle's mother and stepfather were awakened at 4 in the morning with horrifying news that changed their lives
forever your daughter's been involved in some incident and she's been LIF flighted to Kyle Texas they raced from
their home in Houston to the hospital praying Kaylee was okay what was it like when you entered that room what did you
see I saw my daughter's body smashed doctor came in and we asked what's the prognosis and he said there
is none he said she's not coming out of this I'm telling you right now I'm sorry
but where did those bruises come from and how long have they been there as Kaye was taken off life support all
suspicions quickly turned to her sometime boyfriend Mark Howton on the night of October 29th Howton had rushed
an unconscious Kaye to the hospital in his car after the couple attended a music festival while medical staff
tended to Kaye police officers interviewed Howton who wasn't charged with a crime until months later after
the autopsy report was released the medical examiner had ruled that Kaye had died from blunt force face and head
drama and labeled her death a homicide in open and shut case defense attorney John Hunter says not so fast Mr Howton
brought the deceased to a hospital which is something you don't typically see murderers don't usually do that no in
2019 two years after kayle's death the trial began and both sides had their own theories prosecutors say Howton had a
stormy relationship with Kaye I think the best way to tell this story is to start where Kaye mad's life ended and
that's in the car of this defendant Dr Susanna Dana who performed the autopsy gave her account of the evidence she had
a number of what I call blunt forceing injuries to her face and her head but the defense attorney suggested it was
the medical staff not Mark Howton who created much of that bruising so CPR can cause a lot of different injuries not
just simply superficial ones right yes in this case a rib was broken is that correct I believe so yes Dr William
Anderson reviewed the autopsy for the defense and disagreed with the medical examiner findings saying K's bruising
was caused in part by resuscitation efforts at the hospital in the organ donation process
Anderson goes one step further pointing to a thin line in a photo of kayle's skull starting here we have this Jagged
line it's like I said just like a crack in an eggshell and that is a skull fracture a skull fracture which Hunter
says could indicate that kayle's brain bleed was caused by a fall she was in a car she was in a car for portions of
that day hematomas don't kill people instantaneously thank you Dr prosecutors bring the medical examiner back to
challenge Dr Anderson's testimony is that a school fracture no it's not jurors were unable to reach a verdict
and a mistrial was declared Howton walked free but prosecutors wanted to try again in May 2023 more than 5 years
after kayle's death Mark Howton went on trial for the second time

After 19-year-old Cayley Mandadi was unconscious in a hospital bed covered in bruises and on life support, suspicions quickly turned to her sometime boyfriend, Mark Howerton.

Two years after her death, his trial began.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

Brief Summary

The episode details Kaylee Mandad's tragic death and the trials of her boyfriend Mark Howton.

Key points

Kaylee's Tragic Incident. 19-year-old Kaylee Mandad lies unconscious in a hospital after a mysterious incident.
Devastating Prognosis. Doctors inform Kaylee's parents that she won't survive her injuries.
Mistrial Declared. Jurors couldn't reach a verdict in Kaylee's case, leading to a mistrial.
Second Trial Begins. More than five years after Kaylee's death, Mark Howton faces trial again.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Your daughter's been involved in some incident.

Horrifying news for Kaylee's parents.

0:18WatchJan 21, 2024

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