CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The trial of Christopher Palmiter, the stepfather of Madalina Cojocari, continued Thursday. The court session resumed with continued cross-examination of Palmiter.
Madalina was 11 years old when she was last seen getting off a school bus in November 2022 before going missing.
After more than a year-and-a-half, she is still missing. Palmiter is only charged with failing to report the disappearance of his stepdaughter. He took the stand on Wednesday and Thursday.
MORE FROM WEDNESDAY: Listen to supposedly secret recordings made after Madalina Cojocari went missing
Then Thursday afternoon, after he finished his testimony, Cornelius Police Department Detective Gina Patterson took the stand. She is the lead detective in the search for Madalina. Then, Paul Palmiter and Matthew Palmiter, Christopher Palmiter's brothers, shared details about Christopher Palmiter and Diana Cojocari's marriage.
Live streaming of the trial is not permitted. WCNC Charlotte has a reporter in the courtroom. What follows below is a blog of updates from inside the courtroom:
2:50 p.m.
The trial will reconvene at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. The judge mentioned there is enough evidence for the jury to come to a verdict.
2:49 p.m.
Court is moving into a conference about charges. It will not take long, the judge said.
2:47 p.m.
"In hindsight, I should have sustained the objection to the relevance about who was on the security cameras," the judge told the courtroom.
He says he thought the testimony was "going in a different direction."
2:45 p.m.
There are no more witnesses.
2:41 p.m.
A lawyer with the district attorney's office asked Matthew about the dynamic between Diana and Christopher "in terms of parenting."
"Diana is pretty much the one who told Madalina what to do and when to do it," Matthew Palmiter, Christopher's brother, said.
Palmiter was pretty much like a babysitter for entertainment for Madalina, he said.
2:38 p.m.
Matthew Palmiter says people entered the house two different times. In March 2023, three people entered the house. He took screenshots with his new security camera as the people went from room to room, he says.
2:35 p.m.
Matthew talks about going to check the house after the arrest of Palmiter and Cojocari.
He says he called the police department to let them know he was going in the house. He found the front door to be locked and went around to the back of the house. The back door was unlocked, he says.
"I thought after the police or whoever was there doing the investigating would have locked the house up, but they didn't," he said.
The house was smelly, a mess and there were cats everywhere.
After feeding the cats, he found every room was "torn apart." This caused him to set up security cameras and change the locks in the house.
2:31 p.m.
Matthew Palmiter says Diana was more of the controlling one in the relationship.
He added Diana would do most of the driving and she would pick the stops where they would all break and eat.
2:28 p.m.
The defense called Matthew Palmiter to the stand. He is Christopher's younger brother, who lives in South Carolina.
2:25 p.m.
David says Diana asked him if he had a 401(k). He said she asked "out of the blue" what his 401(k) was invested in, specifically asking him about silver.
2:23 p.m.
David says his wife called him on Dec. 13 after receiving correspondence from Madalina's school. He reached out to Christopher to call him after that. He didn’t pry for more information because Christopher made him feel like it was a "family matter."
2:20 p.m.
David says he noticed several odd behaviors from Diana including speaking about seeing angels. David's wife is Sandy, who is listed as an emergency contact for Madalina at school.
2:18 p.m.
Christopher's college friend, David, says it appeared during a camping trip that Christopher would have to get permission to walk with Madalina to dock.
David talks about power dynamics between the couple.
He speaks about a time when Christopher was at his house. They were having beers and chips, and Diana came in and told him he could only drink half the beer, no chips and handed him an apple from her pocket.
Christopher told him “happy wife, happy life."
David says he never saw affection or romance between Cojocari and Palmiter.
2:13 p.m.
Christopher's college friend shares more about meeting Diana. He says it was hard to communicate with her when they first met, because she was learning English.
He says they would get together for family vacations and that is where a lot of the "family conflicts and differences would reveal themselves."
2:11 p.m.
The state is now questioning a friend of Christopher's, who met him in college. He said Christopher is a "law-abiding citizen and truthful."
2:09 p.m.
The defense is asking Paul if he had any thought of Christopher being non-truthful.
Paul says no, adding, Chris was an honest person, overall.
The defense wrapped up questions.
2:06 p.m.
Paul says when Christopher came to see him in Michigan, he was concerned that if something happened to Diana, he wouldn’t know how to take care of Madalina.
Paul says Christopher asked him if he would help take care of Madalina. Paul says it would have to be done very legally.
2 p.m.
Paul says Diana once showed up to his home in Michigan, unexpectedly. He says Diana was "incognito" and he barely recognized her.
He says Diana asked to speak to Paul and Paul’s wife, asking about if Diana and Madalina could come here and asking what kind of schools were around. Paul says Diana was concerned about the education Madalina would receive if she went to school in Michigan.
Paul says when she showed up, they were heading to church. Diana cooked a meal for them and wanted to talk about Madalina and herself coming there, he says.
1:55 p.m.
Paul, Christopher Palmiter's brother, testifies he has met Diana Cojocari less than a dozen times in the last 10 years.
12:20 p.m.
Palmiter's lawyer tells the judge he will not call Diana to take the stand. Diana, who is Madalina's mother, will be released from her subpoena and will not testify.
The session will now break until 1:45 p.m. Palmiter's brother, Paul, is set to testify next.
12:15 p.m.
Palmiter's lawyer asks if Patterson believed Palmiter was being sincere during the interview with investigators at the police station. She says, at that time, it would be hard to say. Patterson says she did not know whether or not Palmiter was trying to help.
12:13 p.m.
The state says Palmiter claimed Diana was sending money to a priest.
The state prosecutor notes Madalina was not in any of the surveillance video that captured images of Diana in Madison County. Patterson says she agrees.
Palmiter had several explanations, even claiming Madalina could have possibly been kidnapped, the state says.
12:10 p.m.
The state's prosecutor says Palmiter made a statement that Diana is a "wholesome, decent" individual. During the interview, Palmiter told Patterson that Diana burned everything with Madalina's face on it, the prosecutor adds.
12:07 p.m.
The state is now asking Patterson questions about Palmiter's 14-hour interview with investigators. The state prosecutor confirms Palmiter went to the police station December and discussed his cell phones, work laptop and clarified dates.
The state says Palmiter made a statement during that interview claiming he didn’t find out Madalina was missing until a week after he got back from Michigan.
12:03 p.m.
Patterson says the investigation included the use of Cornelius city cameras, which showed Diana in city limits. The department also "got hits" from her car in the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee area. Her car showed up on a license plate reader on Interstate 77, as well.
11:58 a.m.
The defense shows more receipts to Patterson, including multiple Western Union payments sent to Moldova by Diana Cojocari.
11:46 a.m.
Patterson says Diana Cojocari made several trips to western North Carolina between Dec. 2 and possibly Dec. 15, 2022. Cojocari was stopped by a deputy in Madison County and seen on various surveillance videos. Patterson alleges that Cojocari was in the mountains and areas west of Hickory during this time.
11:40 a.m.
Court resumes with Patterson back on the stand. She says the Western Union money was sent to Diana Cojocari's mother and a priest, both of whom are in Moldova. She testifies that Diana's mother returned to the U.S. when her daughter was arrested.
11:05 a.m.
The court is taking a 15-minute break.
10:57 a.m.
Patterson says investigators found Wells Fargo receipts in the kitchen. They are associated with Diana Cojocari's debit card. The receipts are from Dec. 13-15, 2022.
The defense then presents receipts showing Diana Cojocari was sending large amounts of money to relatives in Moldova. One receipt shows a transaction of $3,000 on Dec. 13, 2022. Patterson testifies that detectives found "about" $7,500 in Cojocari's purse. She also had passports in her purse that were connected to Moldova and Romania.
Patterson is asked about note cards found in Cojocari's purse which had the name Octavian. Patterson says he is Diana's cousin who lives in Florida.
10:52 a.m.
Patterson confirms that investigators searched Diana Cojocari's car. Inside they found Madalina's notebook, a truancy packet from Bailey Middle School, receipts from Western Union wire transfers and a road atlas. The state shows a screenshot from inside Cojocari's car with items filling the front seat and rear cargo area. Patterson says detectives also found a knife in the vehicle.
The rear of the vehicle has cat food, a Chick-fil-A bag, a backpack and cooler.
10:45 a.m.
Patterson says there were bicycles, a dresser and a home office inside when police arrived. She said there were two sofas, a pallet and blue totes or tubs with lids. Patterson testifies that investigators looked in the bins and found children's clothes, electronics and other household items.
She says detectives found notebooks with passwords, a work time log, as well as various names and phone numbers. She testifies that Palmiter said he needs to "write things down" to remember.
10:42 a.m.
Patterson says the last date she can confirm Madalina was at school was Nov. 21, 2022, the same day she was seen getting off a school bus. Patterson said she continued to question Diana after she claimed to bring the girl to school on Nov. 22. Police later went to Cojocari's home after getting permission from Palmiter.
10:34 a.m.
Detective Gina Patterson with the Cornelius Police Department takes the stand. Patterson, the lead detective in the search for Madalina, says she's familiar with the case and has reviewed available documents related to the investigation.
10:24 a.m.
Palmiter is asked about Diana being at his house after she was released from jail. Palmiter said she was outside on a swing and that he opened the door for her. Arrangements were made for Diana to stay at a hotel in Huntersville. Palmiter said he did not want Diana to stay with him and she only stayed at the house one night.
Palmiter says there were "trust issues" in 2022. He testifies that a plan to get Madalina and Diana to Michigan didn't materialize. Palmiter says when that plan fell apart, Diana stopped trusting him. Palmiter says Diana asked him if something happened to her what would happen to Madalina, and he told her he'd adopt Madalina. He says the trust issues only got worse after the Michigan plan didn't materialize.
10:19 a.m.
Palmiter is asked if he had any idea in his mind that Diana wasn't taking care of Madalina. He said he had "no idea" that Madalina was not in her care. He suggested that detectives put a tracker in Diana's car to see where she went.
Palmiter testifies that he was "entertainment" for Madalina, saying he took her to the park and other places on a regular basis. He says he enjoyed doing those things for her, saying he'd never had any other children.
He says Diana made sure Madalina did her homework, took baths and got her ready for school each day. He says Diana also took care of her appointments, saying she did a "good job" managing that.
10:14 a.m.
Palmiter mentions a FaceTime conversation with his brother. He told his brother what happened and Palmiter says his brother told him he needed to clarify a few things with police. He says he went to Cornelius police afterward for a conversation with detectives.
He testifies that he cooperated with investigators in excess of 12 hours. Palmiter suggested maybe Madalina was picked up off the street or at a friend's house. Palmiter mentions a girl with special needs who lives "down the street," claiming that Diana approached the family about staying at their home with Madalina. Palmiter said Cojocari offered to help care for the girl in exchange for a place to stay.
10:03 a.m.
Palmiter says he questioned the stability of his marriage and was questioning if Diana Cojocari was going to return. He believed they may have left and not coming back. A few moments later, Palmiter becomes emotional and admits they were having marital problems.
9:56 a.m.
Palmiter says when he returned from Michigan that he asked about Madalina's whereabouts. Diana allegedly told him "in the bathroom," but Palmiter confirmed she was not in the bathroom because the lights were off. He tells prosecutors that he didn't believe Diana was being "completely truthful" about what happened to Madalina. Palmiter testifies that his wife then said Madalina must've gone to her room, but he said that was impossible because she'd have walked past him to get there.
9:42 a.m.
Palmiter says he would not lie to detectives who were trying to find his daughter. When asked if Diana ever told him where Madalina was, Palmiter answered no.
9:33 a.m.
Palmiter tells the state that he would refer to himself as Madalina's father to her friends and called her his daughter. He tells the state that his wife, Diana, would buy special cases for his phones to keep them more private, similar to how she treated her own devices.
9:30 a.m.
Court session expected to resume.
RELATED FROM LAST WEEK: Diana Cojocari pleads guilty to not reporting daughter missing, while Christopher Palmiter's defense argues the state withheld key evidence
Background information on the case
Cojocari was last seen getting off a school bus in Cornelius in November 2022. Palmiter pleaded not guilty to failing to report Madalina missing and has been out of jail since his release in August 2023. Palmiter is the husband of Diana Cojocari, Madalina's mother, who was released from jail last week after pleading guilty to failing to report the girl's disappearance.
Records appear to show an expert witness — a computer forensics expert with the FBI — is set to testify.
A total of 12 jurors and two alternates were selected. The 12-member jury is made up of 11 men and one woman. The two alternates are women.
Contact Destiny Richards at drichards5@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Contact Tradesha Woodard at twoodard1@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.