The death of 19-year-old student Valerie Zavala Wilson on New Year’s Eve was determined by the police to be a horrific crime. The subsequent police investigation uncovered the truth and brought the killer into the light. However, his identity surprised many people.
The Body Under the Drain
The time for new beginnings turned into tragedy for the Wilson family when a citizen called 911 on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2003. They reported discovering a woman’s body under a concrete roadside drain in the citrus-growing town of Fillmore, California.
At the scene, police found the victim with her shirt pulled up, completely nude from the waist down, wearing only an earring. Blood was still draining from her ear, indicating the victim had not been there long. The body was covered with tree branches.
Hoping to find evidence, investigators checked the surrounding area and found suspicious footprints. They determined this was not an accident. Clearly, a violent crime had occurred on New Year’s Eve.
The victim’s identity was quickly established as 19-year-old Valerie Zavala Wilson, who had recently been reported missing by her family. Valerie was an attractive student with a bright smile. Loved ones said Valerie was adored by those around her. She had no enemies, was not involved in any criminal activities, or associated with bad elements.
The New Year’s Eve Crime
Valerie was on the path to realizing her dream of becoming a teacher by studying at San Jose State University. The sophomore had just returned home for the 2002 Christmas holidays to spend the season with family and friends.
Police learned that Valerie had attended a New Year’s Eve party hosted by a friend. She left the party around 8:30 pm and contacted her parents around 1 am. Valerie told them her friend Anna had gotten drunk, so she was driving Anna’s car home. Also in the car with Valerie at the time was 17-year-old Samuel “Sammy” Puebla, a classmate of Valerie’s younger sister.
When interviewed by police, Samuel confirmed being at the party and that Valerie had dropped him off at home. The 17-year-old said they hugged goodbye when Valerie dropped him off. That was the last time Samuel saw Valerie alive. From there, Valerie disappeared until her body was found.
Police discovered Valerie had planned to meet her ex-boyfriend Isaac Flores after dropping off Anna and Samuel. From information provided by Valerie’s friends, they also knew Isaac was jealous and confrontational.
Detectives focused on locating Anna’s car to collect evidence. They eventually found it parked at a market a few houses from Isaac’s and Samuel’s homes. Valerie’s purse, blouse, and jacket were still in the car.
Connecting the clues gathered, Isaac Flores became a person of interest for investigators.
A Date with Her Ex-Boyfriend
According to the police investigation, student Valerie Zavala Wilson attended a New Year’s Eve party with her cousin and friend Anna Hinojosa. Video footage showed the 19-year-old girl in high spirits standing with friends at the party.
Around 2 am, Valerie drove both Anna and Samuel “Sammy” Puebla – a classmate of her younger sister – home before going to meet her ex-boyfriend Isaac Flores. Anna was the first to be dropped off, followed by Samuel.
Connecting the clues gathered, Isaac Flores became a person of interest for investigators.
Responding to detectives’ questions, Isaac confirmed that he and Valerie had made some calls and planned to meet on New Year’s Eve. However, Isaac insisted that his ex-girlfriend never showed up at his house as planned.
Two days after Valerie’s body was found, the autopsy results showed the victim had a ruptured eardrum and other bruises, and her head was severely injured.
Other signs indicated the dead body had been dragged. Detectives determined Valerie was not killed where her body was found but had been moved there after the crime. The student died of asphyxiation in what was deemed a homicide.
Surprising Discovery in the Dumpster
A week into the investigation, a new lead emerged when a witness reported seeing a man in his 20s, stocky and tall, standing outside a green truck at the scene where Valerie’s body was found.
The next day, a married couple also said they were driving out of Fillmore early on New Year’s Day, after the night’s party, when they happened to glance over and saw someone standing next to Anna’s parked black sedan at the market. They said it was a male around 20 years old, weighing about 90kg. This description matched the information provided by the previous witness. They all said he was wearing a two-toned gray coat.
However, the investigation subsequently stalled due to a lack of further information. Then on January 6, a detective returned to the police station after the holiday break. He was briefed on the case summary, including that Samuel may have been the last person to see Valerie alive.
Back in early December, this detective had interviewed Samuel about a burglary. Samuel stated he had thrown away unwanted items from the burglary into a dumpster at a church within walking distance from his house.
Recalling this, on January 7, the detective went to the church to search for clues. Surprisingly, in the dumpster, besides branches of the sycamore type found covering Valerie’s body, the police also found a pair of women’s underwear, an earring similar to the one Valerie wore, and shoe prints.
A Surprising Discovery
Subsequent DNA testing confirmed the underwear and jewelry belonged to Valerie. Additionally, DNA analysis from Valerie’s body shockingly revealed the presence of an unknown saliva sample on her chest.
Investigators believed teenage suspect Samuel “Sammy” Puebla had disposed of Valerie’s personal items in the dumpster after killing her, similar to how he disposed of items after a prior burglary. At this point, the investigation focused on Samuel Puebla.
Search warrants for Samuel’s residence and DNA sample were quickly approved. Police found piles of women’s lingerie and cellphones in Samuel’s bedroom, identified as trophies he had stolen from young women in the community.
In a second interview, Samuel initially maintained his previous account of hugging the victim goodbye. But when confronted with the possibility of his DNA being found on Valerie’s body, Samuel immediately changed his story. He claimed he and Valerie had consensually kissed and had sex. However, police did not believe this account since they knew Valerie was hurrying to meet her ex-boyfriend and found no evidence of sexual activity.
The Shocking Crime
At one point in the interview, Samuel became uncomfortable and said he was cold from sitting outside. The investigator went into Samuel’s room to retrieve a jacket. There, the investigator noticed a two-toned gray jacket matching the witnesses’ descriptions.
DNA analysis confirmed the DNA on Samuel’s jacket matched the DNA from the victim’s body. The saliva on the student’s body also matched Samuel’s. Additionally, the shoe prints at the crime scene matched Samuel’s athletic shoes.
Samuel was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. This revelation shocked the community where he lived. Samuel was known as a high-achieving, straight-A student.
Samuel’s trial began on July 9, 2004. During the month-long trial, the prosecutor alleged that Samuel had attempted to sexually assault Valerie before strangling her unconscious when she resisted.
At some point, the victim regained consciousness and tried to flee from the vehicle, but Samuel chased her to the church parking lot. There, Samuel assaulted the victim again, removed her clothes, and strangled her with his hands. Finally, Samuel discarded the victim’s body into the drainage ditch.
Samuel was found guilty of murder and attempted sexual assault. The sentence handed down to the teenager was life in prison without the possibility of parole.
