SAN ANTONIO — Self-confessed killer Andre McDonald testified in his own murder trial Monday, recalling a toxic marriage that led to a brief brawl and his wife, Andreen, being kicked to death in the bedroom. The U.S. Air Force major argued he was defending himself.
“Honestly, man, I became pretty frantic at that point. She’s dead on the floor. We just had a fight. Obviously, I’m going to get blamed for this," McDonald recalled thinking.
The defense introduced McDonald to the witness stand after the state concluded presenting their evidence. It's been one week since Andreen's mother and sister testified, saying McDonald confessed to the killing over the phone just days before the trial began.
Andre and Andreen met each other in their home country of Jamaica. Andre's Air Force career eventually took the married couple to San Antonio, where Andreen established an assisted-living business.
McDonald testified that he became angry after learning Andreen left his name out of a business decision.
"It's not every day you find out your wife's ripping you off," McDonald said.
McDonald noted that, by this time, the marriage was already crumbling, especially after learning Andreen had been rekindling a relationship with an ex-boyfriend in Jamaica.
McDonald testified that a business-related argument at an H&R Block on Feb. 28, 2019, escalated into a physical confrontation in the bedroom.
McDonald said he came home at midnight on March 1 and noticed Andreen was sitting on the couch in the living room. The defendant said Andreen starting cursing at him, hurling sexually charged and homophobic insults that referenced his mother.
McDonald said he threatened to follow through with a divorce, which he alleges fueled Andreen's anger even more. The argument continued in the first-floor master bedroom, which is where McDonald testified that Andreen spat in his face and charged at him.
McDonald noted their heads collided and Andreen went to the bathroom, spotting blood coming out of her head. McDonald said he attempted to check on her, but was attacked. The defendant said he threw Andreen to the ground and kicked her twice.
But McDonald couldn't state which part of her body was impacted.
McDonald said he heard footsteps outside the bedroom and realized his 6-year-old daughter Elena may have seen or heard the commotion. McDonald said he observed Andreen wheezing while on the floor then took Elena up stairs to bed. He then returned to the bedroom and attempted to render aid without considering to call 911, which the prosecution pressed him on.
“I made it over and grabbed her face and then feel a pulse, I put my ear next to her nose to see if she was breathing and she was not," McDonald said.
The prosecution questioned McDonald's actions after Andreen's death, asking whether he was attempting to cover his tracks based on the events surrounding the disposal of the body and hundreds of internet searches related to the crime.
On Tuesday, the jury will be reminded about key evidence when the state and defense deliver closing arguments. The trial is slated to resume at 9:30 a.m.
The state's second-to-last witness, Tony Cobrin of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, returned to the witness stand Monday, reading aloud the defendant’s internet search history. More than 300 search terms were extracted from McDonald’s cell phone, detailing his curiosity surrounding Andreen’s disappearance.
The evidence showed McDonald made numerous searches related to DNA, blood stains and skeletal remains.
One of the searches read, “Why does breaking someone’s neck kill them?”
The prosecution’s final witness was Andreen’s father, Paul Anderson, who flew in from England where he’s lived since 2004.
Anderson testified that he was aware of the McDonald’s martial problems and urged Andreen to seek counsel. He also knew the defendant had physically assaulted Andreen but encouraged them to work out their relationship struggles.
The day before Andreen went missing was the last time Anderson got to speak with his daughter.
“Was there anything different about Andreen’s demeanor or how she was acting when you spoke with her that day?” asked prosecutor Steven Speir.
“She was crying,” Anderson replied, noting the only other time he had seen Andreen cry was at his son’s funeral.
You can watch the trial live online, on the KENS 5 app, and streaming on KENS 5+ for Roku and Fire tv.
Court will not resume on Tuesday due to weather. Bexar County offices, including courts, are closed.
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