The trial of Alberto Cruz started with jury selection on Monday in St. Joseph County.
He’s the man accused in the murder of Alma Del Real. She was reported missing last year, prompting large community outreach to find her whereabouts. Del Real was located near the Culver Academies campus several weeks later.
Jury selection for the case started on Monday according to our reporting partners at WNDU-TV.
Deal Real was last seen with Cruz at a South Bend night club on April 12th of 2015. A bouncer at the bar that night testified Cruz was “scowling and angry”, according to WNDU-TV, and Del Real’s best friend says she asked for advice about how to deal with the fact Cruz wanted to take their relationship further. Cell phone records introduced into evidence indicate Cruz left Del Real’s home two hours later than he claimed and also put him in the area where Del Real’s body was discovered several weeks after her death.
The trial is expected to continue into Thursday.
