Ex-wife of Dane Kallungi, who recorded his confession, testifies in murder trial
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- With Jepsy Amaga's remains still missing, the prosecution is building their case against Dane Kallungi on audio recordings of his confession.
Tuesday, Dane's ex-wife Alaine took the stand. She told the jury that she started working with Colorado Springs Police in 2019, sitting in a conference room with detectives as they recorded her phone calls with Dane.
The prosecution played two recordings from 2019, where Dane repeatedly tells Alaine that he had no involvement in Jepsy's death.
Dane maintained that story until 2021 when arrest documents show Dane confessed to killing Jepsy.
"Let God give Dane the courage to share exactly what happened that day," said Rachel Jackson, a member of the Filipino-American community in Colorado Springs that led search parties for Jepsy nearly four years ago.
She's here at the El Paso County Courthouse to represent Jepsy and her mom, who is watching the trial unfold online from Hong Kong.
She says the audio recordings and testimony has been incredibly difficult to hear, but she's hoping it will all be worth it for the closure at the end of the trial.
"There's hope at the end of this of this case, this trial, that the truth is going to come out," said Jackson.
However, Dane's legal team argues that the truth has been muddled, pointing out key moments in the audio recordings where Alaine urges Dane to confess or he won't be able to maintain a relationship with their son.
They believe the recordings from 2019 are proof that Dane clung to his innocence before ultimately giving in to the pressure to confess from Alaine and CSPD.
KALLUNGI MURDER TRIAL: (2/4) Aug. 2019 Recording:
— Annabelle Childers KRDO (@AnnabChilders) February 14, 2023
Elaine says she knows what Dane did.
Dane repeatedly asks why Elaine believes he killed Jepsy, what police have shown her.
She says she can’t tell because she doesn’t want to get in trouble.
KALLUNGI MURDER TRIAL: (4/4) Dane asks what Elaine would do if he did confess. He says she would turn around and tell police & he can’t trust her.
— Annabelle Childers KRDO (@AnnabChilders) February 14, 2023
He continues to ask what she knows. “Did they find her somewhere?”
He asks: “Are they recording this conversation?”
She says no.
On the stand, Alaine said she was experiencing anxiety related to Jepsy's disappearance and the struggles of parenting her son alone.
The defense asked Alaine, "So you wanted Dane to confess to your perceived truth?"
Alaine replied, "I wanted Dane to confess to the truth."
The trial is slated to end on Feb. 17, but both legal teams are preparing for weather conditions that could push this trial to last longer.
