Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of violence, assault, and death. Reader discretion is advised.
In October 2017, Cayley Mandadi, a Trinity University sophomore, died mysteriously after attending a music festival with her boyfriend, Mark Howerton. CBS News stated that Mandadi was nearly naked, bruised, and unresponsive when Howerton rushed her to a hospital. Doctors later declared her brain dead. The teen’s family then took her off life support. However, a medical examiner ruled that she died from blunt force face and head trauma.
Following the revelation, authorities arrested and charged Mark Howerton with Cayley Mandadi’s murder. Prosecutors alleged that he beat the victim in his car, causing a fatal brain bleed. Howerton first stood trial in December 2019, which ended with a mistrial, followed by a second one in 2023. A jury then convicted him of a lesser charge of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. He received the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Mark Howerton is currently serving his prison sentence, but the exact whereabouts remain uncertain at the moment.
Cayley Mandadi’s case was featured in a CBS 48 Hours episode titled “For the Love of Cayley Mandadi” on Saturday, January 20, 2024.
What was Mark Howerton accused of?
When Mark Howerton rushed Cayley Mandadi to the emergency room of a Luling, Texas, hospital, she was unresponsive and partially naked on the night of October 29, 2017. Moreover, her body had bruising around the neck and thighs. Doctors tried multiple ways to save her before declaring the 19-year-old brain-dead the following day. On October 31, the teen’s family took her off life support.
Howerton claimed that the two had been drinking and taking ecstasy the entire weekend at the Mala Luna music festival in San Antonio. He claimed that on October 29, they allegedly ran into Mandadi’s ex-boyfriend, which sparked an argument between them. This argument continued into Howerton’s car, reported People Magazine.
After this, the couple were en route to a Houston trip, to which Mandadi had agreed when they stopped to have “consensual rough makeup sex.” However, afterward, the teen did not get dressed and allegedly told Howerton that she was not feeling well before passing out in the front seat. The boyfriend claimed he briefly attempted to administer CPR and later brought her to the hospital that night.
At the hospital, doctors claimed that Cayley Mandadi had red marks from head to toe as well as bruises and scratches. They also said that her injuries were inconsistent with Mark Howerton’s claim of “rough sex,” believing it was a case of “physical and violent sexual assault.” After failed attempts, they declared her brain dead on October 30, and the day after, her family took her off life support.
CBS reported that investigators had long suspected his involvement in her demise, believing that the injuries pointed to murder. The medical examiner ruled that Mandadi died of blunt-force trauma to the face and head, ruling it a homicide.
Police arrested Mark Howerton on February 28, 2018, months after Cayley Mandadi’s death. They charged him with sexual assault, murder, and later with kidnapping. Prosecutors alleged that Howerton beat Mandadi in his car, causing a fatal brain bleed. The accused maintained his innocence.
Another CBS News report confirmed that the police arrest warrant said Cayley Mandadi’s friends described alleged incidents of abuse. Once, Mark Howerton allegedly slammed her head into a car window. In a second incident, he destroyed her dorm room at Trinity in September 2017.
Mandadi’s roommate said that the victim told her that Howerton threw her up against a brick wall during an argument. Additionally, a second sorority sister claimed that he once threatened to throw the teen off a balcony during the incident. The two had only been dating for about four weeks when she died.
In 2019, Mark Howerton first stood trial, but the jury failed to reach a verdict, and the judge declared a mistrial. Prosecutors decided to retry Howerton a second time, and following a delay, he again stood trial in May 2023. The following month, the jury found him not guilty of murder but convicted him of aggravated assault. He then received a 20-year prison sentence.
