Former Marine Raymond McLeod Faces Murder Charges

Raymond Samuel McLeod Jr., a 41-year-old ex-Marine, has been ordered to stand trial for the murder of his girlfriend, Krystal Mitchell, who was found strangled in an apartment in San Diego in June 2016. McLeod, who fled the U.S. and was on the U.S. Marshals' 15 Most Wanted List for six years, was apprehended in El Salvador in 2022 while teaching English under a false identity. Prosecutors presented evidence of McLeod's aggressive behavior towards Mitchell on the night of her death, including an incident at a bar where he physically assaulted her. Furthermore, surveillance footage showed him putting his hand on her throat as they entered an elevator. The defense argues that Mitchell's death was accidental, occurring during consensual rough sex, and has introduced witness statements from women who described engaging in similar practices with McLeod. If convicted, McLeod faces 25 years to life in prison.