In murder trial, victim’s daughter says birth certificates, Mother’s Day cards were found in trash

WAILUKU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Moreira “Mo” Monsalve’s daughter and friends faced her alleged killer in a Maui courtroom on Monday.

Monsalve, a mother of three, disappeared eight years ago. Her body was never found.

The defendant is Monsalve’s ex-boyfriend Bernard Brown.

Monsalve was last seen alive at Brown’s home in Wailuku in 2014.

Alexis Felicilda, Monsalve’s daughter, took the stand Monday afternoon. Felicilda said she called Brown after her mom stopped answering her phone calls in January of 2014 and missed work.

“I asked him if he had seen my mother or spoken to my mother. I was just trying to find out if he knew anything about where she was,” Felicilda said.

She was asked, “Did he indicate that he was trying to catch a flight that day?”

Felicilda answered, “Yes.”

Monsalve’s belongings were later found in a dumpster at a park near Brown’s Iao Parkside condominium.

“One of them is the title to my truck, my Toyota that I used to have, our birth certificates, her bank statements, old Mother’s Day cards,” said Felicilda.

One of Monsalve’s friends said he told her that he was worried about her relationship with Brown.

“I had expressed concerns to Mo, and I told her that she needed to make good decisions and be careful and she felt like she was confident and able to handle herself,” said Matthew Wilkins.

Several friends also testified that Brown never showed up at any of the searches for Monsalve.

Brown’s attorney, Randall Hironaka, said that’s because he was getting harassed by members of the public about Monsalve’s disappearance.

Trial resumes Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. in Judge Peter Cahill’s courtroom.

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