Where is Mark Howerton now? Details explored ahead of 48 Hours on ID

The upcoming episode of 48 Hours on ID is all set to cover the case of Cayley Mandadi's death and her then-boyfriend Mark Howerton's involvement in it. The case remains one of the strangest ones as it has still not been properly solved, with a lot of confusion surrounding the alleged murder. Mark Howerton was not sentenced for the murder but remains the only one who could have done it.

This case is the subject of the episode titled For the Love of Cayley Mandadi, which will air on September 8, 2024, at 8:00 PM on Investigation Discovery. The synopsis for the episode reads:

"When a beloved college student dies with unusual bruising, her parents go to extreme lengths to prove her death was no accident."

Though Mark Howerton was not punished for the murder, he was still sentenced for aggravated assault and continues to remain in prison as of today.

Ahead of the latest episode of 48 Hours on ID, here is a breakdown of what Mark Howerton did.

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Who was Mark Howerton and what did he do?

A native of Texas, Mark Howerton started dating 19-year-old Cayley Mandadi in 2017 when the latter was still a sophomore. It seems that Mark and Cayley's relationship was problematic from the very start because of Howerton's violent nature.

Many of Cayley's friends claimed that Mark was extremely abusive towards her and Cayley had even turned up with bruises on her arms and legs on multiple occasions. Her friends also allegedly claimed that Cayley was afraid of Mark and his violence. He had even reached a point where he drew a gun and once threatened to throw Cayley off a balcony.

Once, Cayley's friends had also called the cops on Mark when he was heard shouting in a room. It later turned out he was allegedly under the influence of drugs.

On October 29, 2017, Mark took Cayley to the Mala Luna music festival in San Antonio. The couple allegedly got into an argument at the festival after they allegedly ran into Cayley's ex. Their fight continued on their way back, but Mark later claimed that they reconciled and decided to stop at a gas station for make-up s*x. He claimed that their physical intimacy was rough but consensual.

Following this, Mark claimed that Cayley had lost consciousness and soon he realized she wasn't breathing. Both of them had allegedly taken ecstasy at the festival. He took her to the hospital, where she passed away two days later. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma.

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Where is Mark Howerton now?

While Mark was the most likely suspect, nothing concrete linked him to the murder. He surrendered in February 2018 and was charged with murder, s*xual assault, and later, kidnapping. He did not plead guilty to any of these.

The prosecutors alleged that Mark Howerton hit Cayley, which eventually led to her death in the car. His defense argued that there was a potential head injury when they had s*x, leading to her death.

Ultimately, Mark Howerton's first trial did not yield any result and he was found not guilty for the murder in his second trial in 2023. However, he was found guilty of aggravated assault. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

He is currently incarcerated at the Willacy County State Jail. He will be eligible for parole in 2033.

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The upcoming episode of 48 Hours will cover this case in further detail. Stay tuned for updates.