A second woman took the stand in the Chandra Levy murder trial to describe how she was attacked by the defendant while jogging in the Rock Creek Park, the same park where Levy’s body.
Tuesday’s testimony by Christy Wiegand, now 35 and a lawyer in Pittsburgh, added another layer of evidence to the prosecution’s argument that illegal immigrant Ingmar Guandique was prowling the national parkland the summer of 2001 and killed Levy in a similar attack.
The athletic, nearly 6-foot Wiegand started her jog into the park with her then-fiance, but he ran ahead because he was a much faster, and she found herself alone. Like the woman who testified Monday, Wiegand said she saw Guandique milling around, eying her and then suddenly he was jogging behind her.
Ten minutes later, at the top of a steep hill, she turned in time to see Guandique lunge at her. He grabbed her from behind in a bear hug, forced a knife up to her face and a covered her mouth with her other hand.
She screamed, she testified.
“Sounds were coming out but my screams were muffled,” Wiegand said. Guandique forced her down a steep incline, over rocks, mud and leaves.
At the bottom, Wiegand said her mind was racing and she decided to go limp. Guandique whispered to her with a Spanich accent,, “‘Shhh. Be quiet. It’s okay. It’s okay.’”
Her strategy worked. Guandique released his grip and the 175-pound Wiegand fought with all her might.
“I was going to struggle until I died to get away from him,” she said.
Guandique got up and fled, and Wiegand climbed to the top of the hill on to Beach Drive and waved down a passerby. Within 40 minutes, she said police had Guandique in custody and she positively identified him.
