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Since Dateline: Secret Uncovered premiered, the true crime show has been presenting some of the most heartbreaking cases. This time, we're talking about a college student who belonged to Perryville, Kentucky, whose lover horribly cut his life short.
Jesse Valencia was a young man with large aspirations and a promising future. He was born in 1981 and was a 23-year-old university student at the University of Missouri, where he was pursuing both journalism and pre-law.
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Jesse was gay and self-assured, cheerful, confident, and adored by his friends. He was also very close to his mother, Linda, who was his biggest supporter. But all of it came to a sad end in June 2004, when Jesse was brutally killed just a block away from his college campus.
Turned out that it was none other than Jesse's lover, Steven Rios, who murdered Jesse. Though he kept denying the crime, the police officer was ultimately found guilty and given a prison sentence.
Since the body was found in an unimaginable state, investigators initiated an extensive search for the killer. It was the DNA from Jesse's fingernails that confirmed that Rios was the killer.
Keep reading to learn more about the case featured on Dateline.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered reveals that Steven Rios killed his lover
As mentioned above, Dateline: Secrets Uncovered deeply explores the brutal slaying of Jesse Valencia. Since he was someone who barely had conflicts with others, it was heartbreaking for his family and friends to learn that he was gone.
Shockingly, Jesse once had a dream that he would die young, and it came true in 2004. As shared in the Dateline episode, Jesse's mother never left her son alone. She said:
"From the time he was born, I took him everywhere with me... He was my whole life and I just couldn’t believe that he was gone."
On the evening of June 5, 2004, Jesse had gone to a party after working a shift at the motel where he was employed. Hours later, his lifeless body was discovered between two buildings near the university.
The scene was shocking: Jesse’s throat had been deeply sliced, and his body showed clear signs that he had fought hard to defend himself. He had also been choked before his throat was cut, which pointed to a violent and personal attack.
Jesse's case took a dramatic turn when investigators uncovered that Jesse had been romantically involved with a married Columbia police officer. The Dateline episode revealed that Jesse and Rios soon began dating, but Jesse eventually learned that Rios was married and had welcomed his newborn baby.
Jesse then shared this with his mother and decided to stay away from Steven Rios for good. However, little did anyone know that Rios was making a deadly plan to end his lover's life.
Steven Rios' attempt to hide the truth about Jesse's murder
For people, Steven Rios was a rising star who seemed to be a happily married man with his first newborn. But that image would soon come crashing down. He was having a secret affair with Jesse, and soon after his death, he volunteered to secure the crime scene and guard Jesse’s dead body.
Rumors began that a police officer was in love with Jesse, raising eyebrows and suspicion. Steven Rios then told one of the officers that he had arrested Jesse one night but denied having a personal relationship with him.
However, his lies came to light, and Rios eventually confessed that he was romantically involved with Jesse Valencia. Still, the police officer didn't share the complete story. As explained in Dateline: Secret Uncovered, Rios claimed he was with his colleagues on the day of the crime.
How was Steven Rios' crime finally uncovered? Dateline explains
The final pieces of the puzzle fell into place when officers on duty the night Jesse died said Rios had left the station earlier than he claimed. More damningly, his DNA was found under Jesse’s fingernails and arm hair on the victim's chest.
It was believed that Steven Rios used a chokehold before slicing Jesse's throat. Motive also became clearer: Jesse had told his friend Patrick Rogers that he planned to expose the affair and tell Rios’ police chief. Rios may have killed Jesse in an effort to protect his reputation and career.
Steven Rios' trial began, and in 200,5 he was declared guilty of the first-degree murder of Jesse Valencia. However, that conviction was overturned in 2008 due to issues with witness testimony.
In a second trial, a new jury convicted him of second-degree murder. He is now serving time and won’t be eligible for parole until 2049. As previously mentioned, Steven Rios stands by the claim that he didn't kill Jesse Valencia.
Also Read: Dateline: What did Nikita Casap do? Disturbing details of the 17-year-old's crime, revealed
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