Meing Chen Hsiao, known to her friends as “Mandy”MONROE, La. — The Louisiana murder trial of Quinton Tellis is scheduled to begin Monday in Ouachita Parish, marking the latest chapter in a case that has faced multiple delays over a decade, most recently following the death of a key prosecution witness.
Tellis has pleaded not guilty in the 2015 killing of Meing Chen “Mandy” Hsiao, a University of Louisiana at Monroe graduate student who was found dead in her apartment. Opening statements in the bench trial, which means there is no jury, are expected to begin as the court resumes proceedings that were postponed late last year.
RELATED: Who can we expect to see on the witness stand in the Quinton Tellis trial? – Darkhorse Press
The trial was delayed after retired Brig. Gen. Paul Rowlett, an intelligence analysis expert expected to testify for the state, was killed in a vehicle crash in Mississippi on Nov. 29 while traveling to Monroe. Prosecutors said Rowlett’s testimony was significant to the state’s case, prompting a request for a continuance that was granted by the court.
Rowlett was expected to testify regarding electronic and analytical evidence tied to the investigation. Prosecutors told the court that replacing him with another expert of similar experience and qualifications would be difficult, while defense attorneys argued the testimony was not essential to the state’s case.
Quinton Tellis standing outside a Ouachita Parish courtroom door on Thursday, July 28, 2021.Tellis is accused of the stabbing death of Hsiao inside her Monroe apartment, where investigators contend that considerable evidence linked him to the crime. The case has drawn widespread attention, in part because Tellis was previously tried in Mississippi for the 2014 death of teenager Jessica Chambers. That case ended in two mistrials.
Tellis pleaded guilty to using Hsiao’s debit card in May 2016. One of the prosecution witnesses has testified, though he recanted it in a controversial statement, that Tellis told him he tortured a woman to death for the PIN to her debit card.
As the Louisiana trial begins, prosecutors are expected to outline other evidence they say ties Tellis to Hsiao’s death, while the defense is expected to challenge the state’s timeline and conclusions. It is unclear if a plea bargain has been discussed or how long the trial is expected to last.
