MONROE, La. — The bench trial of Quinton Tellis is scheduled to resume May 13 in Ouachita Parish after a pause following the first week of testimony in the 2015 killing of Ming Chen Hsiao, prosecutors said. The judge-only trial began in March and was expected to last only a few days but was halted because of scheduling conflicts, with prosecutors saying additional witnesses still need to testify and the defense saying it has one witness to call.
Tellis is accused of fatally stabbing Hsiao, a University of Louisiana Monroe graduate student known to friends as Mandy, inside her apartment in July 2015. He has also been identified as a primary suspect in the 2014 death of Jessica Chambers in Mississippi.
During the first week, prosecutors presented evidence and witness accounts aimed at tying Tellis to the killing, including testimony from a key witness who said Tellis admitted to stabbing a woman to obtain her debit card PIN. Judge Larry Jefferson also heard from a forensic pathologist who testified Hsiao suffered 30 stab wounds, including three fatal wounds to the neck. Other testimony focused on inconsistencies in Tellis’ statements to investigators, and a man identified in court denied elements of Tellis’ account. A neighbor testified an encounter with Tellis before the killing “creeped her out,” the prosecution said.
Prosecutors have not yet called all witnesses, including those expected to address timeline and forensic evidence, and the defense is expected to present at least one expert to challenge cellphone and digital evidence. Tellis remains in custody as the trial awaits its next phase. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
