Christina Laurean

Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach was eight and a half months pregnant when she disappeared.  In May 2007 she accused Cesar Laurean of rape, but in November she stated that her pregnancy was not the result of a sexual assault. December 19, Maria goes missing and by early January Laurean goes on the run.  He left a note for his wife, Christina that said Maria committed suicide by slitting her own throat with a knife, and he panicked and buried her in the woods near their home. Firepit where...Read Full Story

Friday, Cesar Laurean was moved from Onslow County to Wayne County, NC.  Laurean is charged with first-degree murder in the December 2007 bludgeoning death of 20-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach.  A pre-trial hearing is scheduled Monday, with jury selection to begin Tuesday. It is being reported that a surprise discovery was made on July 26. A box containing more than 1,300 documents was found at the Onslow County Sheriff’s Department. The defense is poring over the files to see if...Read Full Story

Laurean glances back at his family Yesterday was the shortest day for testimony, but also the most horrific. Dr. Thomas Clark reviewed the autopsy results and photos.  Maria death was violent and the subsequent burning of her body and that of the fetus made some findings impossible to determine. The defense was caught off-guard when the State announced they were finished and rested their case. They were able to bring in two quick witnesses and as we already surmised, the defense is going to...Read Full Story

We heard from 11 additional witnesses on Friday bringing the total witnesses, so far, to 22.  Pretty fast pace! We even had the feed problems we have come to expect! So, what did we learn Friday?  My theory on the fence and bonfire were confirmed.  The computer forensics was pretty damning in my opinion! I found the testimony of CWO2 Joel Larsen was actually painful.  He had very high praise for his former charge and it was obvious he admired Laurean’s skills and felt he had a real...Read Full Story

Well, after a very, very frustrating morning, the feed was finally restored about 2:30pm, in the middle of the DNA testimony, yesterday. Sharon Hinton testified that swabs from the Laurean garage floor, a tan pillow, pool raft, etc all had Maria’s DNA.  Interestingly, the supposed murder weapon – crowbar – did not contain Laurean’s DNA. Much as Maria’s credit card had probably been wiped of prints, apparently Laurean was careful enough to wipe the crowbar. Mary Lauterbach took the stand...Read Full Story