Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of violence, assault, and death. Reader discretion is advised.
CBS 48 Hours examines Cayley Mandadi’s mysterious death shortly after she attended a music festival with her boyfriend, Mark Howerton. The upcoming episode titled “For the Love of Cayley Mandadi” will air on the network on Saturday, January 20, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET. The official synopsis says, “After their daughter’s violent death, a mother and stepfather track down the suspect’s car for answers.”
According to CBS News, Cayley Mandadi was a sophomore cheerleader at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. On October 29, 2017, she attended a San Antonio music festival with her boyfriend, Mark Howerton. According to him, they took party drugs and had consensual sex. However, she stopped breathing at some point.
That night, Howerton rushed Mandadi to the nearest hospital, where medical professionals declared her brain dead the following day. On October 31, she was taken off life support. Later, a medical examiner determined that the 19-year-old died of blunt-force trauma to the face and head.
Who was the suspect in Cayley Mandadi’s mysterious death?
People Magazine reported that on February 28, 2018, authorities charged Cayley Mandadi’s boyfriend, Mark Howerton, with her murder. They alleged that Mandadi’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. Authorities had long suspected Howerton’s involvement in Mandadi’s strange death. They charged the 22-year-old with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault.
The outlet reported that Mandadi and Howerton had only been dating for about four weeks at the time of the incident in October 2017. According to San Antonio Express-News, one of Mandadi’s friends told investigators that she had previously seen bruises on her legs. Mandadi had allegedly claimed that Howerton caused those bruises. Her friends had also heard of an incident when Howerton allegedly slammed Mandadi’s head against a car window. Another friend said that the 19-year-old was scared of her boyfriend.
Mark Howerton allegedly told police that he and Cayley Mandadi attended the Mala Luna music festival in San Antonio in October 2017. Howerton also told them that they were drinking and taking ecstasy the entire weekend, per People Magazine. But on October 29, the duo allegedly ran into her ex-boyfriend, which sparked an argument between the couple. This argument continued into Howerton’s car.
The outlet reported that Howerton then claimed that he and Mandadi were en route to a Houston trip, to which she had agreed. During the drive, they stopped to have “consensual rough makeup sex.” However, afterward, Mandadi did not get dressed and allegedly told Howerton that she was not feeling well.
The 19-year-old then fell asleep in the front seat and later stopped breathing. Howerton claimed to have briefly attempted CPR before driving to the emergency room of a Luling, Texas, hospital. When they reached the hospital, the teen was unresponsive and naked from the waist down.
Doctors noticed bruising around Cayley Mandadi’s neck and thighs, and Howerton explained that they came from the rough sex they had. A detailed examination revealed that her wounds were extensive. Doctors said that she had red marks from head to toe as well as bruises and scratches. They suggested that her injuries were inconsistent with Howerton’s claim of “rough sex” and appeared like a case of “physical and violent sexual assault.” On October 30, doctors declared Mandadi brain dead, and the following day, her family decided to take her off of life support.
KSAT-TV reported that Mark Howerton first stood trial for Cayley Mandadi’s murder in 2019. However, the jury failed to reach a verdict, concluding the proceedings in a mistrial. In 2023, Howerton stood trial a second time when a jury found him not guilty of murder and guilty of a lesser charge of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. He received the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
CBS 48 Hours episode on Cayley Mandadi’s death airs on January 20, 2024.
