Judge allows evidence of domestic violence in trial of former Marine

A San Diego judge ruled that prosecutors may introduce evidence of prior domestic violence attacks by Raymond McLeod, a former Marine charged with murdering his girlfriend Krystal Mitchell in 2016 by strangulation. Prosecutors say the pattern, including a 2016 incident involving his then-wife and a 2009 incident with an ex-wife, establishes a history relevant to Mitchell's death, which the defense calls a rough-sex accident.

McLeod fled to El Salvador after Mitchell's death, working as an English teacher until his 2022 capture following years on the U.S. Marshals' most-wanted list. Judge Kimberlee Lagotta allowed evidence of the two prior incidents but rejected some witness testimony about McLeod's sexual practices that had been admitted in an earlier, since-dismissed case against him.

The defense also raised discovery complaints, saying the district attorney's office turned over years-old documents and phone data only in the past week, the same kind of issue that reportedly led to a prior dismissal. Both sides agreed to continue the preliminary hearing so the defense can review the new material.

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