FBI agent testifies how Romero’s body was found

The second day of the trial of murder suspect Joseph A. Crisostomo went into the gruesome details of the finding of the body of murdered bartender Emerita R. Romero at the derelict La Fiesta Mall in As Matuis on Feb. 7, 2012.

Testifying as the CNMI government’s first witness, Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent Haejun Park related yesterday how he and FBI special agent Joseph Auther found Romero’s decomposing body inside a small room at the abandoned mall.

Park also explained the different techniques used to process the crime scenes and the evidence gathered such as footprints, fingerprints, palm prints, hairs, fibers, metal door, DNA swabs, and others.

During cross-examination by defense counsel Janet H. King, Park admitted that nine fingerprints and three palm prints taken from the former mall had no value to the investigation.

Park recalled that the FBI received calls from people and police about Romero being missing in February 2012.

After obtaining information from a cell phone that belonged to Romero, Park said he and Auther decided to search for her at the abandoned La Fiesta Mall on Feb. 7, 2012.

Park said they began the search at the southern part of La Fiesta, but they did not find anything there so they moved to the northern part of the building. That was when they smelled the strong odor of rotting flesh.

Park said he and Auther split up and he proceeded in the direction of the smell, while Auther went to the side where there were trees and grasses.

Besides the strong smell, Park said he also heard what sounded like the buzz of a chainsaw. He said the smell and sound led him to Romero’s decomposing body inside what was possibly a restroom. The sound of a chainsaw turned out to be the buzz from the thousands of flies surrounding Romero’s body, he said.

Park said he then immediately notified Auther and they decided to call other FBI agents and Department of Public Safety officers in order to get assistance and start processing the scene.

Park said they had to wear protective suits and allowed only certain responders to go to the scene to avoid contaminating the area.

Using oblique lighting techniques, Park said they noticed several footprints going into and from the restroom. He also noticed drag marks running parallel to the footprints, suggesting that someone had dragged Romero’s body to the restroom.

Park said they also found some items, such as zories and a baby lotion that belonged to the victim.

At that point in Park’s testimony, interim chief prosecutor Brian Flaherty showed several photos of Romero’s body when she was found as well as when investigators lifted her body to make her face up.

The 40-year-old Crisostomo remained expressionless as the photos were being shown on the widescreen monitor. At least one juror was seen covering a part of her face with her hand.

The photos showed that Romero’s body was fully clothed with short pants and tank top. The corpse appeared to be in a state of decomposition.

When Park found the victim, she was facing down, with the upper portion of her body resting on the wall while the lower portion of her body was flat on the floor. Park said they later lifted the body to check for evidence beneath the body.

Park said they found a piece of cloth wrapped around the victim’s neck that was possibly used to strangle her.

When shown a photo of a piece of jewelry in Romero’s right leg, Park recognized it as an anklet that the victim’s family had identified as belonging to her.

Park said they took four latex prints of the many footprints they found at the scene and sent them to the FBI Lab for analysis. He said the prints were later sent to a foot specialist for further analysis.

Park said they also found several fingerprints but they didn’t determine them as related to the investigation of the case.

He said they took out the whole metal door of the restroom to check for palm prints and possible bloodstains.

He said there were a total of 18 possible fingerprints and palm prints, but analysis at the FBI Lab showed that they were not identifiable or gave no assistance to the investigation.

On that same day of Feb. 7, Romero’s body was brought to the Commonwealth Health Center morgue, where Guam chief medical examiner Dr. Aurelio Espinola did an autopsy that night. Park said that prior to the autopsy, Espinola collected oral, rectum, and vaginal swab samples for a rape test-kit and analysis. He said a CHC doctor and a nurse took the samples.

Park said it was Espinola that removed the ligature that was wrapped around the victim’s neck. He said the ligature was also sent to the FBI Lab.

The next day, Feb. 8, 2012, investigators located the rented Toyota Corolla car that Crisostomo had driven, Park said. He said they processed the car and collected a long hair fiber, several hair strands and other items that were later sent to the FBI Lab.

Park said that on April 27, 2012, three children who were playing at the La Fiesta found Romero’s purse in one of the rooms on the second floor of Building II.

Park said he and two DPS officers went to the Department of Corrections on June 4, 2012, to collect footprints and hair samples, and DNA or oral swab from Crisostomo.

During King’s cross-examination, Park admitted that the nine fingerprints and three palm prints that they collected at the crime scene were unidentifiable. Park said the results showed that the prints did not match either with Crisostomo’s or Romero’s.

When asked why the prints were not compared to other people as the investigation only targeted Crisostomo, Park said that Crisostomo was not the suspect at the beginning of the investigation.

Park also disclosed that he took evidence of tire marks found at La Fiesta, but did not send them to the FBI Lab because they had no value or did not match the rented car that Crisostomo had driven.

In the government’s opening statements, Flaherty said that Romero was at the wrong place at the wrong time as she rode on a car that she mistook as a taxicab in the early morning of Feb. 5, 2012. Two days later, or Feb. 7, Romero was found dead.

Flaherty asked the jurors to look at the particular evidence—the hair found in a car that was rented and driven at the time by Crisostomo; footprints found at La Fiesta Mall; and DNA.

“All those three pieces of evidence point to defendant’s involvement,” the prosecutor pointed out.

In her opening statements, King said there was no dispute that on the early morning of Feb. 5, 2012, Romero rode a car near her house and two days later FBI agents found her body. King said Romero, a mother of two children, died of strangulation, a very brutal killing. King said she intends to show that there is reasonable doubt that Crisostomo committed the crime. She said there should be no room for presumption and no room for prejudgment.

King said the government and law enforcements rushed very early at a wrong judgment of guilt against one man only: Crisostomo.

King said the government would present Romero’s 911 call that identified Crisostomo’s voice.

King said it was Crisostomo’s former wife, estranged wife, who identified the voice.

The former wife, she said, however, claimed that she’s entitled for the reward money in this case.

King said the autopsy on Romero will show that there was no sexual assault.

She said nine pieces of latent prints were taken all around Romero at La Fiesta and that none of those matched with Crisostomo.

King will continue questioning Park today, Wednesday, at 8:30am.