Chilling testimony alleges murder suspect asked others for help disposing of High Point University student’s body

HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — The trial of a man accused of killing a High Point University student in 2021 before fleeing to Tennessee has begun.

Michael Cadogan is accused of killing Gianna Delgado , who was 19 and attending High Point University at the time. Cadogan was 24 at the time of the killing.

Authorities say they were called to Pallas Way in High Point on June 21, 2021, to check on Delgado after a report that she had been assaulted. She was not found in her apartment, and Cadogan was identified as a suspect.

Allegedly, Cadogan contacted a woman he knew telling her that he had strangled Delgado to death during an argument and needed help disposing of her car and body in Tennessee.

She reported a homicide to the local police and they found Cadogan with Delgado’s body in the car.

He was extradited to High Point from Carter County and remained in Guilford County jail awaiting trial.

Monday

On Monday, the court began selecting jurors for the trial, and the High Point Enterprise reported that Guilford County Superior Court Judge Tonia Cutchin believes the trial will take two to three weeks.

About 50 prospective jurors were brought in to fill out the 12-person jury.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, the woman that Cadogan contacted in the hours after he allegedly killed Delgado took the stand to elaborate more on her phone calls with him and her cooperation with the police.

She says that she met Cadogan on Snapchat before June 21, and he called her saying that he had messed up. While Facetiming the woman, Cadogan allegedly showed her Delgado’s body.

Cadogan had told the woman that he had struck and strangled Delgado during an argument about her allegedly cheating on him.

She said she stayed on the phone with him while he bought supplies to clean up the crime scene, and he told her what kind of vehicle he would be in. On the stand, she explained that she had her cousin record the calls Cadogan was making to her.

Then she took the recordings they had made of Cadogan’s calls to the police, and he purportedly continued to repeatedly call her even while she was speaking to officers.

An investigator who spoke with the witness the night of Delgado’s killing took the stand after her and referenced the recorded evidence as well.

Video was shown to jurors and people in the courtroom that appeared to show Cadogan calling the witness. During the call, the woman tried to get Cadogan to incriminate himself, asking if he intended to throw Delgado’s body in the lake or drive her car into it. He hung up but called back and said he never thought he would get that mad.

Delgado’s family was in the courtroom and appeared emotional as the video played out for the court, but Cadogan sat surrounded by deputies with a blank expression.

Wednesday

Wednesday was another day of tough testimony, with court resuming at 9:30 a.m. and more evidence presented to jurors and the courtroom. The testimony brought one juror to the point of tears.

The first witness on Wednesday was a woman who had worked with Cadogan at Amazon, who had an “off and on” relationship with the suspect. She said on the stand that Cadogan had called her on June 21, 2021, and asked for her help moving something, but he wouldn’t say what. She declined, but he asked several more times.

Then, an investigator for Carter County, Tennessee, took the stand and described the scene after a deputy stopped him that night. They photographed the scene and took the vehicle to a secure location.

In court, they showed the photographs the investigator took of the scene. It included letters and items that were addressed to Delgado, $1,500 in cash, a burner phone and prepaid cards. They then showed photographs of what was in the black and red tote that had been found in the car: Delgado’s remains, covered in bleach and black trash bags. The tote was brought into the courtroom, as well, sealed in a biohazard bag.

In the afternoon, members of the High Point Police Department took the stand to discuss the crime scene left in High Point. A detective said they used a spray solution and found blood smeared on the walls of the apartment the two shared.

The trial is set to continue on Thursday.

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