Kriti Mehrotra
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Web of Lies’ is a true-crime series that explores those harrowing tales of manipulation, deceit, and violence that actually began with nothing but text or online interactions. It thus incorporates every aspect through dramatic re-enactments as well as exclusive interviews to give us a comprehensive insight into what transpired and why in each matter. So, of course, season 5 episode 8 titled ‘Be Right Back,’ chronicling the heartbreaking 2010 homicide of Alicia DeBolt, is no different. Now, if you wish to know the details about the same, we’ve got you covered.
How Did Alicia DeBolt Die?
At the tender age of 14, Alicia DeBolt was preparing to enter her freshman year at Great Bend High School – with a cheerleading spot already saved – when it was all snatched away from her in a single night. There’s no denying that she was athletic and competitive, yet the young teen also had a past that affected her lifestyle in a way most would consider troublesome. Therefore, once she uncharacteristically missed a cheer practice (her true passion) and didn’t come back home, while many believed that she might’ve just run away, Alicia’s family immediately reported her missing.
Alicia had left home for a party just before midnight on August 21, 2010, never to be seen or heard from again. Her parents tried to contact their daughter via calls and texts in the hours that followed, especially later on the following day, around the time of her practice. Upon receiving no response, they contacted the authorities. Unfortunately, though, the search for the teen concluded only three days later, when her charred remains, with traces of heavy duct tape on both her ankles and face, were recovered from near a Venture Corporation plant just outside the city. The specific cause of her death remains unknown.
Who Killed Alicia DeBolt?
Alicia DeBolt’s body was so badly burned that she had to be identified based on dental records, making it evident that her sudden disappearance and death were no accident. During the ensuing inquiries, officials quickly uncovered that then-36-year-old Adam Joseph Longoria had been pursuing the minor ever since meeting her at a party in July 2010. The duo had exchanged hundreds of text messages over the next month, with him going as far as to call Alicia “hot stuff,” requesting pictures, and offering food, alcohol, and rides to more parties. He had a live-in girlfriend at the time, yet even that didn’t matter.
More importantly, though, not only was Adam an employee at the asphalt plant where Alicia’s remains were found, but their messages also indicated that he was the one who’d picked her up on that fateful night. As if that wasn’t enough to incriminate him, video surveillance from a nearby store caught him buying $1.32 worth of gasoline that evening, and traces of the fuel were also on the shoes and shorts he’d been wearing. Furthermore, Adam’s semen mixed with Alicia’s DNA was recovered from inside his then-girlfriend’s vehicle — the one he’d been driving that night.
In the hours after investigators collected all this evidence from Adam’s property — before forensics confirmed any sure connection — Adam stole a car from his workplace and tried to flee, only to be arrested that same day. He was then indicted of vehicle burglary, theft, and capital murder, with the prosecutors claiming that he’d bound Alicia with duct tape in an attempt to rape her before slaying her. We should mention that Adam had previously been accused of making a few bomb threats to an elementary school in McDowell, North Carolina.
Where is Adam Longoria Now?
Adam Joseph Longoria was found guilty as charged following a jury trial in April 2012, where he did not testify in his defense. For the count of capital murder, as per records, the jurors had to be sure he committed criminal sodomy, aggravated criminal sodomy, or attempted rape in the process of the killing, and they determined that he did all three. Hence, in June 2012, he was sentenced to mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 17 and 7 months for vehicle robbery and theft, respectively.
Since Adam had waived his right to be present at the sentencing hearing, he did not make any statements concerning the matter. He did appeal his conviction later on, but the Kansas Supreme Court upheld it in early 2015. Thus, today, at the age of 48 (born November 1973), Adam is incarcerated at the maximum-security El Dorado Correctional Facility in Prospect Township in Butler County, Kansas, where he is expected to remain for the rest of his natural life.
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