In the early hours of February 20, 2016, police were called to a home on Wright Avenue in Stratford, New Jersey, for a wellness check. Inside, they made a grim discovery. Thirty-five-year-old Roxanne Flores was found deceased in her bedroom from a gunshot wound. The tragic event set in motion an investigation that would initially point to her husband as the primary suspect.
Investigators soon learned that Roxanne's husband, 33-year-old Mario Flores, had been seen leaving the residence shortly before police arrived. He had taken their young daughter to a relative's home in Lindenwold around 1 a.m. Family members and friends reported that the couple had been experiencing marital problems and had allegedly argued on the night of Roxanne's death.
This information, coupled with his departure, quickly made Mario Flores a person of interest.
The investigation intensified as authorities tracked Mario Flores to Alexandria, Virginia, where he was apprehended by local police at approximately 8 a.m. the same day. He was charged with the first-degree murder of his wife and held in Virginia before being extradited back to New Jersey to face the charges. The case against him seemed to be building, with prosecutors highlighting his flight from the state as evidence of guilt.
However, the legal proceedings took a dramatic turn. During the trial, Mario Flores's defense team presented an alternative explanation for Roxanne's death, arguing that she had died by suicide. This theory was supported by the testimony of a forensic pathologist. After more than two years in custody, a jury acquitted Mario Flores of the murder charge. His defense attorney maintained that he had fled the scene in a panic, fearing he would be blamed for his wife's death.
