Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘A Cheerleader’s Reject’ of ‘Murder Under the Friday Night Lights’ delves deep into the horrific murder case of a 19-year-old cheerleader named Valerie Zavala Wilson, who met her untimely demise after attending a New Year’s Eve party of 2002. The investigation allowed the detectives to uncover some dark secrets about that night, sending shockwaves across the entire community. Featuring exclusive interviews with the victim’s loved ones and officials connected to the case, the episode provides the viewers with a detailed account of the entire case and the investigation that ensued.
Valerie Zavala Wilson’s Remains Were Discovered in a Drainage Ditch on New Year’s Day
On August 20, 1983, in Santa Clara, California, Valerie Diane Zavala Wilson came into the life of Kevin and Michelle Zavala as a little bundle of joy. Besides her loving and proud parents, she was also accompanied by her two sisters — Jessica and Kirsten — and a brother named Kevin while growing up. The family moved to Fillmore, where she attended Fillmore High School and started laying the bricks for her promising future. Not only did she do well academically, but she also was popular as a cheerleader. After graduating high school, she went to San Jose State University, where she was a member and fundraising chairwoman of the Alpha Kappa Delta Phi sorority.
Her vibrant and friendly persona made her popular among her peers, several of whom confided in her. Described as a happy and bubbly individual, she could light up any room she entered. With dreams of pursuing a career in teaching, she had a bright future ahead of her. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for her. For the holidays of 2002, she had arrived home to her parents in Fillmore, California. On December 31, 2002, she went to a New Year’s Eve party with her friends, and that was the last time anyone saw her alive. The following morning, her partially clothed body was discovered in a roadside drainage culvert along South Mountain Road by a boy taking a shortcut to his home.
He immediately called 911 and informed the police about it. The authorities arrived at the scene and spotted several pieces of evidence, including shoe prints near the body. After identifying the 19-year-old Valerie Zavala Wilson as the victim, they did an autopsy test that revealed that the cause of her death was asphyxiation. It was also discovered that she suffered blunt force trauma to her head and had a busted eardrum and other contusions. The detectives also concluded that Valerie had been killed somewhere else and had been dragged by the killer to the site where she was found. Immediately, a homicide investigation was launched.
Valerie Zavala Wilson Was With a Couple of Her Friends On the Fateful Night
After collecting the evidence, the investigators held interviews with Valerie Zavala Wilson’s loved ones and acquaintances, hoping to find some kind of lead. They eventually learned that she had attended the New Year’s Eve party and drove her friend, Anna, home. The two ladies were also accompanied by Samuel “Sammy” Puebla, a 17-year-old classmate of Valerie’s sister. They reached out to Sammy, who admitted that he had attended the party and that the victim had given him a lift home, after which he never saw her again. During their investigation, the detectives also found out that Valerie planned to meet her ex-boyfriend, Isaac Flores, who became a person of interest.
However, when the police interrogated Isaac, he told them that he was supposed to meet with her that night, but she never showed up at his house. With the case at a standstill, the police were hit with a fresh lead about a week after the murder. According to a witness’ claims, the authorities drew a composite sketch and circulated it through news outlets, offering a $1,000 reward for anyone who could provide any sort of information about the man in the picture. Once again, the case started turning cold until the authorities began digging deeper into Sammy, who was likely the last person to see her alive.
New Revelations About the Killer Led to His Arrest
They learned that he was suspected of being involved in a robbery in early December 2002. According to reports, he got rid of the things he did not want from the robbery in a dumpster at St. Francis of Assisi church. Thus, the detectives went to the church and found a pair of underwear, cypress clippings, and an earring, all belonging to Valerie Zavala Wilson. They also found shoe prints at the site. When the investigators learned that there was saliva discovered on the victim’s chest, they searched Sammy’s apartment and took his DNA. During their search, they came across multiple women’s underwear and cell phones hidden in his bedroom.
Not only did the shoeprint found near the church belong to his sneakers, but the victim’s blood was also found on the jacket he wore at the New Year’s Eve party. Upon telling him about the fact that they had found someone’s saliva on her body, he changed his story and claimed that the two had kissed that night. However, the detectives refused to believe his story and, in light of all the evidence, arrested him for murdering Valerie Zavala Wilson. He was charged with first-degree murder, attempted rape, and the special circumstance of felony murder during the course of the attempted sexual assault.
Samuel Puebla is Incarcerated at a California Prison Facility Awaiting His Parole
About one and a half years after Valerie Zavala Wilson was brutally murdered, her killer, Samuel “Sammy” Puebla, stood trial for his crimes on July 9, 2004. During the trial, the prosecution argued that Sammy became violent when Valerie refused to reciprocate his sexual advances. They elaborated that he killed her at the church and disposed of her body in the drainage ditch, where it was later found the following morning. On the other hand, the defense tried their best to come up with strong arguments and sway the jury’s minds in the defendant’s favor.
However, after a one-month-long trial, on August 2, the jury deliberated and returned with a guilty verdict for Sammy, convicting him of first-degree murder, attempted rape, and the special circumstance of felony murder during the course of the attempted sexual assault. The victim’s family voiced their demand that the killer never be released from prison for taking away Valerie’s life. The following month, in September 2004, he was sentenced to life in prison. As of now, he is serving his sentence at California State Prison, Centinela, in Imperial, California, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for February 2028.
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