In a new Los Angeles case, a restaurant owner is being tried for the murder of his wife- who disappeared in 2009. The daughter of the man testified before jurors that her father would joke about disposing of a body by cooking it.
The daughter has testified that her father reportedly tied up his wife (the girl's stepmother) and taped her mouth after an argument and that she would never be found. In 2011, while being pursued by authorities, the man tried to commit suicide by jumping off of an 80-foot cliff. The restaurant owner had been telling customers a variety of stories- that his wife had left him, gone to the mountains and entered drug rehab.
After the man was arrested, crews spent two days searching his café- pulling up concrete floors and using a cadaver smelling dog. In the sheriff department's own words, "At this point we believe she is buried underneath the restaurant. We are excavating parts of the restaurant. We expect to be there for some time." After searching, however, no body was discovered.
The daughter of the man confessed that she had smoked marijuana the night her father told her about the cooking. While the man has made several incriminating comments, other people have been quick to point out- "no body, no witness, no crime."
The stepdaughter has testified that her father would try to block his spouse from entering their bedroom by placing a dresser in front of the door. The man claimed that his wife would pester him, when he wanted to go to sleep. If the rumor that the man tied up his wife and taped her mouth shut is true, it is alleged that she died sometime in the middle of the night- choking on her own vomit. If the restaurant owner is convicted, he could face life in jail.
