ome, according to communication records. The phone was never found.

The family of Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez, including Gloria Jimenez, left, and Natividad Jiminez, center, speak at a press conference on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023 following the arrest of Erik Arceneaux in Houston. John Wayne Ferguson/Houston Chronicle

Arceneaux's defense attorneys, David Cunningham and Casey Garrett, tried blocking his cell phone records from entering the trial by arguing the search warrants used by a Houston police investigator to gather intel lacked probable cause. Judge Kelli Johnson denied their request.

The arrest warrant alleges Arceneaux used her phone to send text messages suggesting three men were after her to create an alibi.

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A search of his home revealed traces of cleaned-up blood, but authorities were unable to link it to Jimenez-Rodriguez because the DNA fragments were  not suitable for comparison,  according to court records.

If convicted, prosecutors may show jurors evidence of Arceneaux's history of harming other women. He pleaded guilty in 2011 to charges related to his attack of a girlfriend during an argument, in which he then pointed a gun at a neighbor who came to help after hearing her screams.