HIGH POINT, N.C. — A jury has found a man guilty of killing and concealing the body of High Point University student, Gianna Delgado in 2021.
Michael Cadogan was found guilty of second-degree murder, concealing and failing to report a death on Wednesday, July 24.
He is now facing 20 to 30 years in prison.
Ricardo Delgado, father of Gianna Delgado, said the punishment isn't enough.
"I don't understand where second degree murder fits in all that. He gets his second chance. It's like he won the lottery. My daughter didn't have a second chance, he took that away from all of us," the father explained.
Cadogan was arrested in Carter County, Tennessee in 2021 after investigators said they found the body of 19-year-old HPU student Gianna Delgado in his car.
A family representative for the Delgado family said the cause of death was blunt force trauma and strangulation.
"I feel sorry for other families that have to go through this. I'm sure I'm not the only one but, things have to change. It's still been shock, still hurt. I don't think that I did enough, and that hurts. It's something that I have to carry for the rest of my life," Delgado said.
Back in May 2023, a judge decided that the death penalty was not on the table.
WHAT HAPPENED:
Court appearance documents show a woman called the Kingsport Police Department about Cadogan carrying a dead body in his car.
The woman said she called the police after she received a call from the accused killer. In the reports, it shows she said he admitted to killing Delgado and Facetimed her to show what he had done. The documents also said Cadogan told her he went to Lowe's to buy a large tub to place the body in.
He also asked for help getting rid of Delgado's body and car, the document said. Cadogan told the woman he called to meet at a marina in Carter County, Tennessee, where he planned to put both the car and body into Watauga Lake, according to the report.
This information is how law enforcement knew the whereabouts to find and arrest Cadogan.
The High Point Police Department contacted the Carter County Sheriff's Office with information that Michael Cadogan may be transporting a body through Carter County.
A deputy saw Cadogan's car, stopped it, and took him into custody.
Although High Point police have said there are no prior reports filed between the couple, experts said this case shows all the signs of domestic violence.