PORT ARANSAS, Texas — The trial for a 63-year-old Warren man accused of killing a Hardin County woman in 1988 began Tuesday.
Daniel Andrew MacGinnis is charged with murder in connection to the death of Patricia Ann Jacobs. An investigation into Jacobs' death began in 1988.
Jacobs did not return home from a meeting at the Silver Spur tavern in Hardin County in early October of 1988. Her body was found on October 6, 1988 in the Neches River in Port Arthur.
Jacobs had injuries to her head and face. An autopsy later determined she drowned
On day two of testimony, police officers took the stand.
They testified on MacGinnis's past criminal history, hoping to show a pattern.
MacGinnis has a lengthy criminal history that stretches across the US.
He was convicted for sexual assault in 1988 in Texas, the same year as the murder he's on trial for.
He was also convicted of 'rape by force' in California in 1990 and attempted aggravated kidnapping in Texas in 2004.
During day one of the trial, prosecution started opening statements by talking about pieces of clothing Jacobs was wearing when her body was found.
Jacobs' clothing was given to crime lab in Houston in 2019 to be analyzed for a DNA profile, something that was not available in 1988 when the investigation began. Prosecutors believe the evidence will be central to the state's case.
MacGinnis’ defense attorney did not talk about the evidence in their opening statements. However, they did bring Jacob’s character into question.
The defense claimed Jacobs was, “wild with several boyfriends.”
One witness who took the stand Tuesday claimed she was with Jacobs at the Silver Spur on the night she went missing. She testified that she saw MacGinnis at the end of the bar staring at them.
The witness said when Jacobs left so did Warren. She testified that was the last time she saw Jacobs alive.
Jacobs' daughter and the mother of MacGinnis' children also took the stand Tuesday. They were in tears.
An investigation into Jacobs' death began in October 1988 after her body was found. Her death was listed as a “probable homicide.”
The Texas Rangers, Hardin County Sheriff’s Office and Port Arthur Police Department intensely investigated Jacobs’ death. After interviewing multiple witnesses, investigators identified MacGinnis as a suspect.
Texas Rangers interviewed MacGinnis in California. He claimed that he was not involved in Jacobs’ death, according to a Jefferson County District Attorney's Office release.
Further investigation did not show that Jacobs and MacGinnis had been in contact with each other. The case went cold due to a lack of evidence.
In 2019, the Texas Rangers and Port Arthur Police Department found evidence that was sent in for DNA testing that was not available in 1988.
The Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab developed a DNA profile that matched MacGinnis. MacGinnis had since become a convicted and registered sex offender.
MacGinnis' Texas sex offender registration page shows that he has been convicted of sexual assault in Texas in 1988, rape by force in California in 1990 and attempted aggravated kidnapping in Texas in 2004.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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