Murder warrant filed in death of Fort Sill soldier found in Duncan

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - A Murder charge has been filed in the 2022 death of a Fort Sill soldier who was found dead at her home in Duncan.

Sgt. 1st Class Laura Mota was found in July of 2022 at the bottom of a staircase at her home by police after they were sent there to check her welfare.

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On March 9, a murder charge was filed against her husband Mario Mota.

According to court documents, Laura and Mario were in a strained marriage with Mario living in El Paso while Laura lived in Duncan with their children.

The affidavit gives a several month, chronological breakdown of communication between the couple. In those messages, Mario threatens to harm himself and begs Laura to take him back after she reportedly wanted a divorce.

Those messages culminated on July 24 when Mario was reportedly at the home in Duncan waiting on Laura to return from the Sherman, Texas area.

After Laura returned home, the messages between the two stopped in the early morning hours of July 25, according to documents.

When her body was found by the Duncan Police Department, it was sent to the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner to determine her cause of death.

Mario allegedly told police he could smell alcohol on her breath and that she had been drinking, but the Medical Examiner reportedly told investigating officers no alcohol was found in her system.

Her official cause and manner of death was ruled as undetermined and unknown, but, according to the court documents, the medical examiner told police she had no fatal injuries which were consistent with falling down stairs. Instead they said she had petechial hemorrhages which are signs of choking or strangulation and if her body had been found in any other position, it would have been ruled a homicide.

Online court documents show an arrest warrant was served on March 9.