Isabella Comas case: Legal analyst weighs in on dropped charges

Isabella Comas: Legal expert explains dropped charge

A former prosecutor is weighing in, after charges were dropped against the only person of interest in the disappearance of 21-year-old Isabella Comas. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean reports.

PHOENIX - A high-profile prosecutor weighing in after charges were dropped against the only person of interest in the disappearance of 21-year-old Isabella Comas.

The backstory:

Comas went missing on Jan. 11 at around 3 p.m. when she was last seen leaving a friend's home near Van Buren Street and Avondale Boulevard.

On Jan. 12, Comas' phone was found at a Phoenix recycling center. The next day, a Turquoise Alert was issued for Comas.

On Jan. 15, police said Comas' boyfriend, Tommy Rodriguez, 39, of Phoenix, was deemed a person of interest.

Police say evidence indicates Isabella likely suffered a serious injury.

Rodriguez was never formally charged directly in Comas' disappearance, and made bail in March. Rodriguez was facing charges related to the theft and destruction of her car, but the Maricopa County Attorney's Office determined more investigation was needed.

Comas is still the subject of an active Turquoise Alert.

Expert Perspective:

While Comas remains missing, one legal analyst says justice can still be served.

Matt Murphy spent decades trying homicide cases in Orange County, California, including several where no body had been found. He weighs in on the decision to dismiss theft charges against Tommy Rodriguez, the sole person of interest in the disappearance of 21-year-old Isabella Comas.

"I think that what's happening here behind the scenes is remember, if somebody is tried and there is not enough evidence and they're acquitted, that's it, the case is over," said Matt Murphy, legal analyst and former California senior deputy district attorney.

While police have not classified the case as a homicide, Murphy says dropping lesser charges is a common tactic when investigators want to build a larger case.

"There's no statute of limitations on a murder case, so time is really on their side, they have the time to do this and I think that what's happening is they want to perfect the case," Murphy said.

Dig deeper:

Maricopa County has tried several cases in recent years where no body was found, but prosecutors still secured a murder conviction.

In 2015, Jerice Hunter was sentenced for murder and child abuse after her daughter, Jhessye Shockley, went missing.

In 2019, Robert Interval was sentenced in the death of his girlfriend, Christine Mustafa. And two years ago, Jamal Lamar Jones was sentenced in the murder of Luzeia Mathis.

Murphy says in no-body prosecutions, the task is to focus on proving a homicide took place.

"My old boss Lou Rosenblum told me before I did my first one, he said the jury can always see the soul of your victim reflected in the eyes of those who love them," Murphy said. "When you don't have a body, in order to prove the death, you get to call the person's best friend, you get to call the grandma that'll say 'she never would've missed Christmas.'"

Murphy's message to the loved ones of Isabella Comas is to have faith in investigators as they work to find more answers.

"This one, I think in the end, I have confidence there will be justice," Murphy said.