A Nevada woman's secret lover was left decapitated and dumped after she got pregnant while her husband was behind bars.
Anthony Newton, 45, is accused of killing 33-year-old Ulisys 'Cesar' Molina back in 2016 before dismembering him, dumping him in a vacant lot and setting his remains on fire over a secret love triangle that left his then-wife pregnant.
The long-awaited retrial for the death penalty murder case is now underway in Clark County, Las Vegas.
'That fact she got pregnant as a result of this affair makes the affair more painful and upsetting to Newton,' Pamela Weckerly, the chief deputy district attorney, said on Thursday, 8 News Now reported.
'To me, it would explain why you'd be really mad.'
Prosecutors argued that Newton tied up Molina before he killed him, rolled his body in a blanket, stuffed it inside a garbage can, dismembered his remains, put them in a suitcase, drove them to a vacant lot, poured an accelerant and lit a match, 8 News Now reported.
They also alleged that Newton was so infuriated over the affair that he forced his then-wife to have an abortion.
But Newton's attorneys said that the police rushed to the conclusion that he had killed Molina - claiming that they selectively chose evidence that fit their own personal theory.
Anthony Newton (pictured), 45, is accused of killing 33-year-old Ulisys 'Cesar' Molina back in 2016 before dismembering him, dumping him in a vacant lot and setting his remains on fire over a secret affair that left his then-wife pregnant
Three days after Christmas Day in 2016, a homeless woman who found a suitcase with a body burned inside of it.
Newton and his brother-in-law allegedly stuffed some of Molina's remains into the suitcase and drove to an abandoned lot in the 2000 block of Dolly Lane, near East Lake Mead Boulevard and Marion Drive in Las Vegas, before pouring gasoline over it and lighting it on fire
The first time prosecutors tried Newton was in November of 2024, but a judge declared a mistrial during the first day of testimony because one of his co-defendants alerted the jury to a certain time Newton spent in prison.
The retrial, which is expected to last at least three weeks, could leave Newton sentenced to death if convicted.
On Christmas Day of 2016, Molina was allegedly at the apartment of Kelsea Glass, a separate woman both he and Newton were said to be involved with, 8 News Now reported.
Newton abruptly knocked on the door and came inside before an argument began escalating between the two - allegedly leading Molina to be knocked to the ground with a bloodied forehead.
Fernando Garcia, Glass's roommate, said that he and Wray left the residence to run to the store. But when they returned, Newton had placed a couch in front of the apartment door so they couldn't enter.
Once they finally got inside, Garcia told detectives that he saw Molina lying on the floor and bleeding from his head while Newton was armed with a black handgun.
Garcia went into his bedroom before minutes later a second suspect, George Malaperdas, Newton's brother-in-law, arrived and immediately joined in - allegedly kicking Molina and yelling at him for having sex with his sister.
He also told officers that he too believed Molina was also involved with Newton's wife, Jami.
Prosecutors alleged this week that Newton was so infuriated over the affair that he forced his then-wife to have an abortion
Jacqueline Bluth, the district court judge, agreed with Newton's attorneys that abortion was too controversial of a subject and it may affect the jury's ability to process it while still treating Newton fairly during trial, despite prosecutors arguing that it's a large part of the motive
The first time prosecutors tried Newton was in November of 2024, but a judge declared a mistrial during the first day of testimony because one of his co-defendants alerted the jury to a certain time Newton spent in prison
The pair wrestled with Molina and tied him up with shoelaces before Newton put his foot against the victim's throat and stomped down until he 'was not moving anymore'.
Garcia told detectives that the two men then dragged Molina's body into the bathroom, at which point he ran out of the apartment.
After Molina's death, Malaperdas admitted that he and Newton removed Molina's clothes, wrapped him in a sheet and placed his body in the trunk of a car, Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Newton ultimately left with the body that night but picked Malaperdas up the very next day and drove to a residence where allegedly he 'had him 'assist in the dismemberment of Molina's body'.
The crazed-pair stuffed some of his remains into a suitcase and drove to an abandoned lot in the 2000 block of Dolly Lane, near East Lake Mead Boulevard and Marion Drive, according to prosecutors.
Newton then poured gasoline on the suitcase before lighting it on fire.
Three days later, Metro patrol officers were called to investigate the body after it was found in the early morning hours by a homeless woman, 8 News Now reported.
Chander Carrethers, the woman who called 911, told authorities that she was asleep in her encampment when she heard the screeching of a car and a door opening. She then said she heard a sound similar to something being dragged through the desert.
At the time of the murder, a second suspect, George Malaperdas, Newton's brother-in-law, arrived and immediately joined in on attacking Molina - kicking him and yelling at him for having sex with his sister
On Christmas Day of 2016, Molina was allegedly at the apartment of Kelsea Wray, a separate woman both he and Newton were said to be involved with, leading to the escalation of an argument
Newton and Malaperdas were said to have wrestled with Molina and tied him up with shoelaces before Newton put his foot against the victim's throat and stomped down until he 'was not moving anymore'
When she came outside the next morning, she found the suitcase with a body burned inside of it.
Police confirmed that the DNA results of the remains were those of Molina's, despite only recovering a torso and legs.
The first day of the retrial was on Monday, where attorneys gave conflicting versions of what played out that Christmas Day nine years ago, 8 News Now reported.
Prosecutors said that during Newton's time in prison, Molina had slept with his then-wife.
The affair led Newton and his brother-in-law to kill Molina with the help of Glass, who prosecutors said lured him to her apartment.
But Josh Tomsheck, Newton's attorney, said that the state's witnesses have a reason to lie.
'I'm going to ask you why they are saying the things that they say,' Tomsheck said. 'The why in this case is going to tell you the truth about what really happened.'
Both the defense and prosecutors agreed on one specific set of facts - the discovery of one of Molina's hands, which were severed at the time of his murder.
After decapitating and dismembering Molina, Newton was said to douse the suitcase in gasoline before lighting it on fire and walking away
When the homeless woman who called 911 came out of her encampment the morning after hearing noises in the lot, she found the suitcase with a body burned inside of it
Prosecutors argued at the retrial that Molina died at the hands of Newton and other individuals, including Glass, who was said to have lured him to the apartment
In April of 2018, while Newton was in custody at Clark County Detention Center, a woman sent her five-year-old child to check the mailbox - and a human hand was found inside, according to prosecutors.
Police determined the limb to be Molina's, but had no leads on how it ended up in a woman's mailbox a year later.
'Anthony Newton could have had nothing to do with that hand,' Tomsheck said. 'He was nowhere near it. It was two towns away and he wasn't in a place where he could get it.'
'That evidence... is a part of the story that the state does have to answer because it doesn't fit their theory,' he added.
'Things, ladies and gentleman, are not always as they seem.'
On Thursday, the defense and prosecutors argued about whether or not the jury should hear evidence of Newton's then-wife's alleged abortion.
'Paternity has never been established, ever,' Tomsheck told Jacqueline Bluth, the district court judge. 'That is a huge stretch.'
Although Tomsheck admitted that the woman did have a 'medical procedure' done at the time, there was no proof corroborating the claim that Newton demanded she get an abortion.
During November's short-lived trial, Molina's family, including his sister, became outraged at the accused - causing an outburst of anger in the courtroom
Malaperdas is also awaiting sentencing for charges of murder, kidnapping and robbery
The jury is set to hear the attorneys' closing arguments on Tuesday where Newton may be sentenced to death if convicted
Bluth agreed with Tomsheck, noting how abortion is too controversial of a topic and it may affect the jury's ability to process it while still treating Newton fairly during trial.
But prosecutors argued that the woman's pregnancy and abortion were part of the theory as to why Molina was murdered.
During November's short-lived trial, Molina's family, including his sister, became outraged at the accused - causing an outburst of anger in the courtroom.
His sister testified on Thursday in the retrial, noting how her brother went missing on Christmas.
The victim's family failed to report him missing until several days later because Molina was 'living a pretty hard life at the time' - noting how drugs, financial problems and housing instability plagued him recently.
But prosecutors also said that it wasn't uncommon for the siblings to go without talking for a few days.
Weckerly said that Molina's 'phone records indicate he was alive on, at least part of the day, on December 25, that Christmas. But after that, something changed'.
'What changed was he was murdered,' she said. 'And he was murdered by the defendant, Anthony Newton, and other individuals.'
The jury is set to hear the attorneys' closing arguments on Tuesday.
If found guilty, the jury will hear testimony in a separate hearing to decide whether Newton will be sent to death row.
Malaperdas and Glass are also awaiting sentencing for charges of murder, robbery and kidnapping.
