A North Carolina man has been accused of brutally killing his teen girlfriend and inhumanely scheming to dump her body and her vehicle into Watauga Lake in Tennessee on Monday, June 21.
Michael Louis Cadogan, 24, has been arrested on Monday for the killing of his former partner Gianna Delgado, 19, and a disastrous attempt to get rid of the body. He has been charged with first-degree murder, concealment of death, and tampering with a corpse, Fox8 reported.
Court documents stated that a woman, who is said to have known Cadogan for about five years now and would occasionally exchange messages with him other over social media, alerted authorities after the suspect asked her via a phone call early Monday morning to help him get rid of Delgado's corpse, WJHL 11 noted.
Cadogan later face-timed the witness, showing her the victim's corpse in the trunk of his car. The woman saw a shocking glimpse of Delgado who “appeared to be lifeless” during the video call.
Cadogan proceeded to recount his ordeal to his acquaintance, admitting that he heartlessly strangled the victim after a heated argument over cheating allegations. The woman had secretly recorded the suspect's call.
Cadogan admitted to his crimes upon initial questioning after being nabbed by the police. He confessed to going to a hardware store to buy a large tub that Delgado’s body could fit into. For unclear reasons, the assailant cut the victim's hair before placing the corpse into the tub.
The killer Cadogan had reportedly contacted the witnesses to seek her help in disposing of Delgado's body and vehicle. Upon coordinating with authorities, the woman arranged to meet the suspect at a marina in Carter County to dump the body and vehicle into Watauga Lake.
Upon his arrival, however, Cadogan was circled by Carter County sheriff’s deputies. Delgado's decaying body was retrieved from the trunk of the suspect's car, WBIR noted.
Cadogan has been taken into custody and held without bond in Tennessee, according to a press release released by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office.
However, details of the extradition of Cadogan back to North Carolina from the Carter County Jail have not yet been clarified.
Delgado was a student of High Point University (HPU) in North Carolina before her untimely passing.
The university's administration has expressed their grief and mourning for the sudden death of one of their students.
“The entire High Point University family is incredibly saddened to learn of the recent passing of student Gianna Delgado. The HPU community grieves with and extends their sympathies to her friends and family,” it said in a statement.
It further stated that Delgado, who did not live on campus, was killed due to “possible domestic violence” by the suspect, who is said to have no record of ever visiting campus.
A supposed relative of Delgado has also expressed their resentment as the brutal killing has come to light.
“My little girl my baby my everything is gone… I guess God needed her more than we did… It’s hard to put down how I feel right now. She was full of life with hopes and dreams studying Criminal Justice at High Point University,” Ricardo Delgado expressed in a Facebook post shared by Johanna Delgado.
He further expressed his dismay toward Michael Cadogan.
“You don’t deserve the same air I breathe…” he said. “We’ll have our day in court and do it the legal way.”
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