Friend: Marine's wife went out with murder suspect

VISTA, Calif. –  The wife of a Camp Pendleton Marine agreed to go on a dinner cruise with another Marine on the night she disappeared and a plea for help was sent on her cellphone, a friend of the victim testified Monday.

Channy Tal said her friend Brittany Killgore, who was later found dead, had met defendant Marine Sgt. Louis Ray Perez through a friend who lived in the same apartment complex.

Perez is one of three people charged with kidnapping and torturing the 22-year-old Killgore during sadomasochistic sex then killing her.

Testifying at a preliminary hearing, Tal did not say how long Killgore and Perez had known each other before April 13, the last time Killgore was seen.

Tal said Perez stopped by Killgore's apartment that day and insisted she go on a dinner cruise with him.

Tal was in the apartment, helping Killgore pack because she was planning on moving back to Pennsylvania.

Killgore had recently filed for divorce from her husband, Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore, who was deployed to Afghanistan at the time.

Killgore agreed to go on the cruise after calling Perez's girlfriend — a pregnant woman named "Dee" — and getting her approval, Tal said.

Perez had promised Killgore in return that he would find five people who would help with the move, Tal said.

Still, Tal said, Killgore felt uncomfortable about going.

Tal lent her a purple evening gown for the formal dinner. Tal said she also got the phone numbers of Perez and his girlfriend and told Killgore she would give the police the numbers if she did not hear from Killgore.

Tal said she later received the one-word text message, "Help," from Killgore's phone.

Tal said she spent the rest of the evening sending her friend text messages asking if she was OK.

After texting, "Brittany, are you ok? I'm freaking out," Tal said she got a message from Killgore's phone saying "yes." Tal testified that made her suspicious because her friend always would text "yeah" not "yes" in her messages.

Tal then sent a text telling her friend to call.

Tal said she got a call from Killgore's phone but only heard loud music and no one spoke. Tal texted her again to call but heard the same loud music and no one on the other end during the call.

She never spoke to Killgore again.

The preliminary hearing is expected to last five days and determine if the case goes to trial.

Perez, Jessica Lopez and Dorothy Maraglino have pleaded not guilty. Maraglino has given birth since her arrest.

Killgore's relationship to the defendants has been unclear.

Prosecutors have contended that she met them when she and a friend went to a home in Fallbrook, north of San Diego, to buy an item being sold online, according to the North County Times (http://bit.ly/XehcUC ).

Authorities say Killgore was later kidnapped and made an unwilling participant in bondage and torture before she was strangled.

Sheriff's detectives said they found "bondage-type sex apparatuses, toys and tools" in the Fallbrook home where the defendants lived.

Killgore's nude body was found three days later in a ditch near Lake Skinner in Riverside County.

Perez was arrested on April 15 on suspicion of possessing a stolen assault rifle and was later charged with murder.

Lopez was arrested on April 17 at a San Diego hotel where authorities said she was discovered with self-inflicted cuts.

Authorities also found a letter in which Lopez allegedly claimed she killed Killgore out of fear that the woman would steal away Perez, whom she described as her "master."

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Youths flood Cancun under watch of marines, police

CANCUN, Mexico –  Tens of thousands of U.S. college students are flooding into the Mexican city of Cancun, where officials have stepped up patrols of marines, soldiers and special tourist police in zones packed with hotels and bars.

City officials say they expect thousands more spring breakers this year than the 25,000 who came to the Caribbean coast resort last year. They said at least part of that increase might be due to people avoiding Pacific Coast resorts such as Acapulco, which have been hit by high-profile incidents of criminal violence in recent years.

Cancun tourism director Maximo Garcia Rocha said some major tourist agencies were expecting as many as 43,000 spring breakers. The big influx began Friday as North American colleges began closing for the traditional weeklong spring break. The recess schedule varies from campus to campus with some schools shutting down in early March and others giving students a week off later in the month.

The Cancun Hotel Association said occupancy was at 90 percent citywide.

Brad Madani, a 24-year-old from Toronto, said he had come to Cancun for the second time and was drawn by the beaches, discos and bikini contests. While many Canadians think Mexico is dangerous, Madani said, he felt safe in Cancun, particularly with the heavy presence of marines.

Speaking in halting Spanish, he added, "Hay muchas chiquitas bonita," or "There are many pretty girls."

Garcia said city authorities were distributing flyers at the 10 main spring break hotels giving numbers for the U.S. Consulate and advising spring breakers not to drink or urinate in the streets, use drugs, start disturbances or destroy property.

It's a tradition for many U.S. and Canadian students to head to beach destinations for their vacation, and the crowds often include others — from families to 20-somethings — looking for a sunny break from the last gasps of winter in northerly climates. Affordable all-inclusive packages with airfare, food and hotel also make Cancun an appealing locale for travelers on a budget, especially those who don't mind sharing a room with friends. The drinking age in Mexico is 18 compared to 21 in the U.S., which adds to Cancun's reputation as a party destination for young people, but many visitors also take advantage of nearby cultural attractions with day trips to Mayan ruins and other sites.

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Youths flood Cancun under watch of marines, police

CANCUN, Mexico –  Tens of thousands of U.S. college students are flooding into the Mexican city of Cancun, where officials have stepped up patrols of marines, soldiers and special tourist police in zones packed with hotels and bars.

City officials say they expect thousands more visitors than the 25,000 who came to the Caribbean coast resort last year. They say at least part of that increase may be due to people avoiding Pacific Coast cities such as Acapulco, which have been hit by high-profile incidents of criminal violence in recent years.

Cancun tourism director Maximo Garcia Rocha says some major tourist agencies are expecting as many as 43,000 spring breakers, but the major influx was only beginning Friday.

The Cancun Hotel Association says occupancy was at 90 percent citywide.

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