Inset left: Christopher Cater (Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office). Inset right: Sheila Ortega (Facebook). Background: The mall where Ortega’s body was found on Aug. 21, 2023 in Lake Charles, La. (Google Maps).
A Louisiana man who allegedly killed a septuagenarian woman and drove around with her body for nearly a month while using her identity to take out loans went on trial in the Pelican State this week.
Christopher Talton Cater, 43, stands accused of one count each of murder in the first degree, identity theft, and unlawful disposal of human remains, according to the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.
On Aug. 20, 2023, Sheila Ortega, 72, was reported missing by her family members, according to the sheriff’s office. Relatives told deputies they had not spoken with her in roughly a month. On the same day the report was filed, investigators visited what they believed to be a relevant residence but had little to show for that search.
Investigators’ luck changed substantially the very next day.
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On Aug. 21, 2023, detectives located the missing woman’s SUV in the parking lot of Prien Lake Mall in Lake Charles. Ortega’s long-deceased body was inside the vehicle; Cater was arrested at a nearby business.
Authorities said the defendant was already on their radar after a previous encounter the night before – a deputy allegedly pulled him over while he was behind the wheel of the woman’s SUV.
“She’s entered into the system that evening,” Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso explained. “About 8 p.m. a deputy does a traffic stop, meets the guy at the car, and doesn’t see anything. [The first deputy] asked if he knows her whereabouts, he said ‘Yes.'”
Cater allegedly told the deputy during the traffic stop he had recently taken Ortega to stay with some friends in Arkansas and would be going to pick her back up in a few days, the sheriff said. The defendant was then told he was free to go. A different deputy found the parked SUV the next day and took the extra step of searching the vehicle.
“When we confront him, he says ‘I know why you’re here,'” Mancuso went on in comments to Lake Charles-based NBC/CW affiliate KPLC.
The defendant was allegedly quick to offer an admission.
“When detectives spoke with Cater he advised deputies he killed Ortega approximately one month ago,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release. “Cater also admitted to detectives to opening several loans using Ortega’s information, after her death.”
The defendant was initially charged with second-degree murder – but in the intervening months and years, his legal jeopardy has increased and his alleged admission has fallen by the wayside.
During the first day of trial, prosecutors argued Cater killed Ortega on July 21, 2023 and started using Google to perform internet searches about how to dump a body and use the insanity defense to evade punishment, according to a courtroom report by KPLC.
Those searches allegedly included phrases such as “The best way to get rid of a body,” and “Does the insanity plea work in a murder case.”
Cater’s defense attorney, however, claimed his client only meant to hurt Ortega – but admittedly hit her – because he did not use a weapon during the attack. The defense went on to concede the identity theft and unlawful disposal of remains allegations.
Jurors also heard from the two deputies at the center of the search. The first deputy said a license plate reader led investigators to the mall – after Cater allegedly said he was traveling to Houston during a phone call around that same time. The second deputy testified that she waited an hour outside of the SUV before obtaining a search warrant – after smelling the telltale odor of a decomposing body.
A third investigator testified this week – telling jurors when Cater was found at a bar in the area, he said: “Y’all must be looking for me.”
An interrogation video was shown in court during which the defendant told the third deputy he and the victim were drinking together on the night she died. In that footage, Cater says Ortega reached for his groin, causing him to snap and black out. Then, when he regained consciousness, he was in shock – finding Ortega’s face beaten while his hands and arms were covered in blood, the defendant said.
On Wednesday, a medical professional testified the slain woman had bone fractures in her spine, neck, and face – and agreed with prosecutors when asked if those fractures had likely come from three separate impacts, according to KPLC.
A woman who previously worked with both the defendant and victim also took the stand. She told the jury Cater occasionally borrowed money from her and, during the summer of 2023, stayed with her for awhile.
During that time period, the coworker said, Cater was adamant about staying away from the vehicle he was driving.
“That’s my sister’s car,” he allegedly said. “Don’t go by it. She got dogs. It stinks.”
Olfactory issues rose to the fore yet again when a bartender testified – telling jurors she served Cater on two separate occasions and each time the defendant used Ortega’s credit card to pay.
The second time, Cater carried an unforgiving stench, according to the barkeep. She said: “I had never smelt anything close to that.”
