MONROE, La. — The murder trial of Quinton Tellis is set to resume Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in Ouachita Parish following a pause after the first week of testimony in the 2015 killing of Ming Chen Hsiao.
The bench trial, which began in March, was expected to last only a few days but was halted due to scheduling conflicts after the trial took much longer than expected. Prosecutors have indicated that additional witnesses still need to testify, including two cell phone experts, one of whom is a defense witness, and Tellis’ ex-wife, Chakita Jackson.
SEE QUINTON TELLIS COVERAGE FROM DARKHORSE PRESS
Tellis is accused of fatally stabbing Hsiao, a University of Louisiana Monroe graduate student known to her friends as Mandy, inside her apartment in July 2015. He has also been identified as a primary suspect in the 2014 death of Jessica Chambers in Mississippi.
During the first week of testimony, prosecutors presented evidence and witness accounts aimed at tying Tellis to the killing, including testimony from a key witness who said Tellis admitted to stabbing a woman to obtain her debit card PIN.
Judge Larry Jefferson also heard from a forensic pathologist who detailed the severity of Hsiao’s injuries, testifying that she suffered 30 stab wounds, including three fatal wounds to the neck.
Other testimony focused on inconsistencies in Tellis’ statements to investigators. A man identified by Tellis during the investigation as “Jay” but was never actually known as that testified in court that he had minimal contact with Tellis and denied key elements of Tellis’ account that involved him, casting doubt on the defense narrative.
Additional witnesses placed Tellis at or near Hsiao’s apartment in the days leading up to her death, with one neighbor testifying that an encounter with him “creeped her out” at the time.
Despite extensive testimony, prosecutors have not yet called all of their witnesses, including individuals expected to address key elements of the timeline and forensic evidence. The defense is also expected to present at least one expert witness to challenge cell phone and digital aspects of the state’s case.
It is unclear how long the trial will last, but the judge indicated in March that the days could be long, possibly going into the evenings, in order to finish it out.
