MONROE, Louisiana — A key witness at the Quinton Tellis trial testified Thursday that Tellis threatened him after the 2015 stabbing death of Mandy Hsiao, saying, “You better put this on someone else or I’ll f— you up,” the witness told jurors in Ouachita Parish.
Eric Hill, a cousin of Tellis’s ex-wife, testified that Tellis described entering “a Chinese lady’s” home, stabbing her until he obtained her Chase debit card PIN and then seeking someone to withdraw money using her identification. Hill said he refused to help because he feared investigators would trace a homicide victim’s card back to him.
Hill testified he initially told police that a man named Curtis Lemons had committed the crime, but investigators later tied the case to him and Hill was arrested in March 2016. Hill said he then admitted Tellis, not Lemons, had the card; Tellis later pleaded guilty to using Hsiao’s debit card.
Hill told jurors that while both men were later housed in the same Department of Corrections pod he signed an affidavit recanting his statement after Tellis pressured him to do so. He said he received a three-way call from jail in which the voice he identified as Tellis threatened him. ADA Holly Jones told the court that there is no recording of the call and that three-way calls can be used to circumvent inmate call tracking.
On cross-examination, defense attorney Randall Donald highlighted prior inconsistent statements and Hill’s criminal record. Detective Duane Cookson returned to the stand and prosecutors showed interview videos previously played for the judge to demonstrate that police did not coerce Tellis. Court is scheduled to resume at 1:30 p.m.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
