undeRliRcs Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 Rios murder trial enters second day 23-year-old Jesse Valencia Steven Rios testified in his own defense, explaining why he had threatened suicide. Columbia police Sgt. Barbara Buck displays to jurors the T-shirt Steven Rios was wearing the day he escaped from the Mid-Missouri Mental Health Center and threatened to jump from the nearby Maryland Avenue parking garage before officers talked him off the ledge. Steven Rios wept Wednesday as a good friend and colleague testified at the first-degree murder trial of the former Columbia, Mo., police officer. Rios is charged in the death of 23-year-old Jesse Valencia, the gay college student whose body was discovered June 5 with a slashed throat in a neighbor's yard in Columbia's East Campus neighborhood. Rios, 28 and married, engaged in a sexual affair with Valencia soon after he arrested him last spring for interfering in a loud-party complaint. Rios was not scheduled to work June 5, but special prosecutor Morley Swingle told jurors that computer records show the suspect visited a police substation that day to review the dispatching system's computer screen, which showed the activities of on-duty officers. Rios then went to the main police station and told two sergeants he could make a positive identification of Valencia. Sgt. Ken Smith testified that he drove Rios to the murder scene and that Rios was soon assigned to security work by Officer Shelley Jones, who was stationed outside Valencia's basement apartment with orders to make sure no one entered or left the building. Rios wept today as Officer James Means described talking to him on the evening of June 5. "Based on what I know of Steve, there was something wrong," Means said, referring to his colleague's demeanor. "I said, 'Hey, how's it going?' and he didn't say a thing. I said, 'What's wrong?' He said, 'Nothing. I'm just tired.' That's basically the only answer I got." Means and Rios locked eyes for several seconds after Swingle and public defender Valerie Leftwich questioned the witness, and Rios wore a pained expression as he wiped his eyes. Until then, Rios had appeared calm in the courtroom, and he occasionally smiled at and spoke to supporters in the audience during trial breaks. By 10 a.m., 18 prosecution witnesses had testified, including Valencia's former boyfriend Jack Barry. Barry, a University of Missouri-Columbia senior, talked about the victim's personality and personal beliefs. They met in September 2002 in the parking lot of a bar and dated off and on until about mid April 2004, he said. Barry said they remained close friends despite the breakup. On the night before the slaying, the two spoke on the phone about other young men they'd recently started to see romantically. Valencia's romantic interest was Ed McDevitt, whom he'd met the night before at the SoCo Club, a gay dance bar off Nifong Boulevard. Barry told jurors he went to bed about 1:45 a.m. His phone rang seven times shortly after 3:15 a.m., and he heard a knock at his apartment door. From looking at his cell phone, he knew Valencia was calling and was also likely knocking on his door at the same time. Barry said he didn't answer and went back to sleep. The last call came at 3:18 a.m. "Did he leave a message?" Leftwich asked. "No. I wish he did," Barry testified. Barry also described and demonstrated a fingernail manicure kit he'd seen Valencia use on occasion. Barry said it filed fingernails down rather than cleaning underneath them. He also testified about Valencia's bathing and laundry habits, saying Valencia showered about every other day and washed his hands and face daily. Other witnesses testifying Wednesday included several DNA lab criminalists who tested clothing taken from Rios's home and hairs and nail clippings from the victim's body. Rios's DNA was found under the right-hand fingernails of Valencia and three hairs found on the victim's torso were determined as belonging to Rios. However, the dark Eddie Bauer shirt, pants, and a hat taken from Rios's home all tested negative for Valencia's DNA. These items were described by other officers as similar to the clothes he wore on the morning of June 5 when he left the police department parking garage. Officer Jim Harmon testified that he was among the investigators who searched Valencia's apartment. He described the residence as extremely untidy, with half-empty soda bottles and piles of dirty clothes on the floor. He gathered a used condom from the bedroom floor, a camera and its exposed film, and a party invitation for June 4. Laura Fiske, a coworker of Valencia's at the Campus Inn, told the jury she'd seen a Ford Explorer pick him up from the motel after one of his shifts. Rios owns a Ford Explorer. Valencia's best friend, Joan Sheridan, testified that Rios came to Valencia's apartment in the early morning hours of May 8 of last year. Valencia was not home at the time, and Sheridan answered the door to find the officer in plainclothes asking to talk to Valencia. She recognized Rios as an officer because she had seen him a few hours earlier at a nearby party to which he had responded to a noise complaint. Sheridan said Rios asked her name and why she was there. She explained that she was staying overnight rather than drive home intoxicated. Later that month Valencia told Sheridan he was upset about a ticket he had received on April 18, adding that he had a secret the police department might be interested in hearing, Sheridan said. Her last conversation with Valencia about the affair was June 2, during a walk home from another party. Sheridan was going to spend the night again but hesitated when Valencia told her that the officer might stop by. "He said, 'No, come over. I just won't answer the door.'" The conversation turned serious, Sheridan told jurors. "He said, 'I'm really going to ask him this time if he's married or not, because I really don't want to be involved in a relationship with a married man.'" Sheridan said she told police about Valencia and the affair on June 8. However, Leftwich asked why it wasn't until her next interview, on June 12, that a police report indicated she mentioned the affair. Sheridan said the first officers she spoke to didn't write it down. Andy Schermerhorn testified about having sex with Valencia on May 14. They were interrupted when Rios showed up at the basement apartment in uniform and shining a flashlight in the dark. At first, Rios said he simply wanted to watch, Shermerhorn said, but the officer quickly joined in to have sex with Valencia while Schermerhorn watched and caressed them both. After finishing, Rios told Schermerhorn the encounter had to remain a secret, Schermerhorn testified. Schermerhorn and friends Tamar Solomon and Ellen Dapra testified about "staking out" the Campus Inn to see if Valencia was honest when he told them that the officer who'd arrested him earlier that morning would pick him up from work. They drove around the motel lot to spy on him but lost sight of Valencia about 11:10 p.m. They drove to Dapra's home on Wilson Avenue but soon decided to return to the motel. On the return trip, they saw Valencia and a man matching Rios's description get out of a dark blue or black Ford Explorer at 1414 Wilson Avenue and walk around the back of the apartment house to Valencia's home. None, however, saw the other man's face. The police department's computer systems analyst, Richard Jenkins, explained to jurors two enlarged computer screen snapshots that displayed information Rios might have accessed about the death investigation launched after Valencia's body was discovered. Sgt. Stephen Monticelli, who supervises the department's Major Crimes Unit, testified that Rios came to his office June 8 to talk about a CrimeStoppers tip he'd heard while on a float trip with colleagues that indicated Valencia had had an affair with a married officer and that Rios thought the tip was about him. Rios quickly agreed to be interviewed by Detective John Short, Monticelli said. Both Short and Monticelli testified that Rios initially denied knowing Valencia beyond an official capacity in the April 18 arrest. But when told that witnesses had seen him at the apartment and that one had seen him having sex with the victim, Rios confessed in "bits and pieces" of the affair, Monticelli said. The suspect told them he wanted to tell someone about the relationship on the day the body was found but decided not to after hearing officers at the crime scene describe Valencia's sexual orientation in "brutal" terms. In all, Rios was interviewed three times that day about inconsistencies in his versions of the affair and about where he went after he got off work June 5 at 3 a.m. Ultimately, Rios confessed to the affair, but police still couldn't arrest him for the crime, and he was allowed to leave. On June 10, Rios and his wife, Libby Rios, came to the police station to talk to Monticelli, the sergeant testified. Rios was upset that the department had confirmed to the media that Valencia had had a relationship with an officer. Rios said he wanted to leave town to visit his father in Alexandria, Va., Monticelli said, and without enough evidence for an arrest, police could not detain him. Monticelli said Libby Rios asked him, "Will this be the end?" "I told her this was all about Steve and this relationship and that if he'd have been honest...we wouldn't be doing what we were doing," Monticelli said. "She appeared shocked." Monticelli testified that Rios indicated previously that he would tell his wife about the affair but that based on Libby Rios's reaction, he suspected that didn't happen. Later that evening Rios phoned Monticelli to say he'd missed his flight and had purchased a shotgun and ammunition. He threatened suicide while talking to Short. Eventually the defendant was tracked back to his in-laws' home in Columbia and caught as he emerged from the bushes, Monticelli said. Testimony continues Thursday and could last through the week because Swingle has called only about half of 60 witnesses certified for trial. (Mike Wells, Advocate/Sirius OutQ News) Story source: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail.asp?id=17077 Murder trial of gay police officer continues Testimony continued Thursday in the murder trial of a former Columbia, Mo., police officer charged with killing a gay University of Missouri student with whom he'd had an affair. Detectives testified that Steve Rios, who is married, confessed to his affair with 23-year-old Jesse Valencia begrudgingly after being confronted with evidence of the relationship. Valencia's body was found June 5 in a neighbor's yard with a slashed throat. After twice threatening suicide in the days after the murder, Rios told Det. Jeff Westbrook that if he'd killed Jesse Valencia, then he'd kill himself. Westbrook testified that he told the officer, "You almost did kill yourself," and that Rios responded, "Yes, but I couldn't go through with it." Special prosecutor Morley Swingle rested the state's case Thursday afternoon after questioning nearly 50 witnesses who testified about DNA evidence and Rios's behavior and whereabouts on the day of the murder. Zev Feintuch, a friend of Valencia's who gave a DNA sample to police, testified that he did not have a sexual relationship with the victim. He said they'd mostly hang out at Valencia's apartment, downtown, and once at Feintuch's parents' home. Public defender Valerie Leftwich questioned Feintuch about his access to his parents' teal four-door sedan. Her questions appeared to be laying a foundation of suspicion for the jury that later appeared when she questioned Valencia's neighbor about a dark sedan seen outside the victim's home early on the morning of his death and when she asked a detective about a CrimeStoppers report that described a green sedan near the scene of the crime before police arrived. The defense's line of questioning about when and where the green car was seen suggests Feintuch as a suspect, but previous witness testimony about when the victim was last seen does not fit that scenario. Swingle questioned two psychiatric aides working at Mid Missouri Mental Health Center on the day Rios escaped over the patio wall. Swingle also questioned the off-duty police sergeant who spotted him in the Maryland Avenue garage, where the defendant made a second suicide threat after his name was publicly linked to Valencia. Swingle closed his case with testimony from Detective Tim Giger, who testified that he timed the distances from the police station rooftop garage to Valencia's apartment, and from the apartment to Rios's home on Affirmed Drive. The total trip, with short pauses at the victim's apartment and the scene of his death a block away, came to less than 24 minutes. Leftwich questioned whether Giger counted stop signs and lights in the trip. He replied that he did not, nor did he time any alternate routes. After the prosecution rested, Leftwich questioned a DNA expert from the University of Kansas, Professor Dean Stetler. While he did not disagree with the patrol's crime lab findings that discovered DNA consistent with Rios under the victim's fingernails, Stetler said that DNA could have come from the victim's bed sheets and stayed under the nails for any length of time. The hairs also could have transferred from the sheets, he said. Leftwich called police chief Randy Boehm to testify about news releases and a press conference that concerned Rios's relationship with Valencia and his July 1 arrest. She also questioned the defendant's brother, Mike Rios of Clarksville, Tenn., about finding him on the ledge of the Maryland Avenue garage. While watching his brother testify, Rios wept. The defendant and his wife, Libby Rios, are expected to testify Friday, Swingle said after Thursday's proceedings ended. (Mike Wells, Advocate/Sirius OutQ News) Story source: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail.asp?id=17091 Columbia Daily Tribune full story: http://www.columbiatribune.com/2005/May/20050519News003.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mAcOdIn Veteran Posted May 24, 2005 Veteran Share Posted May 24, 2005 If you seek out specific sources where other people likeminded as yourself are assualted or wronged you will feel wronged all your life. No-one has responded because this happens to all groups. It didn't happen because he was gay or anything like that it happened because he was having an affair. Straight people kill all the time to protect thier marraiges as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undeRliRcs Posted May 24, 2005 Author Share Posted May 24, 2005 If you seek out specific sources where other people likeminded as yourself are assualted or wronged you will feel wronged all your life.No-one has responded because this happens to all groups. It didn't happen because he was gay or anything like that it happened because he was having an affair. Straight people kill all the time to protect thier marraiges as well. 585965474[/snapback] True, but I DO hear these things every other week. It's a fact of life and like you've said, this happens to almost all groups; however more of these offenses do happen to minorities. (I don't know why I'm justifying posting on a forum but...) The point of the post was NOT to show that I "seek out" specific sources, the report is from advocate.com (a publication dealing with issues regarding GLBT the community) BUT rather to show how society has pushed so hard onto people that being gay or "not of the norm" is bad/wrong that those kinds of unscientific rhetoric does harm psychologically to individuals such as Steven Rios that it drove him to murder just because he was having an affair with the same-sex and I guess he couldn't cope with that fact especially since he already have a wife. But rather than dealing with the situation sanely, come in terms with his own sexuality, and discussing it with his wife without resulting in murder. To me that show how tormented (if I may use that word) internally he is with his sexuality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Veteran Posted May 24, 2005 Veteran Share Posted May 24, 2005 True, but I DO hear these things every other week. It's a fact of life and like you've said, this happens to almost all groups; however more of these offenses do happen to minorities. (I don't know why I'm justifying posting on a forum but...) The point of the post was NOT to show that I "seek out" specific sources, the report is from advocate.com (a publication dealing with issues regarding GLBT the community) BUT rather to show how society has pushed so hard onto people that being gay or "not of the norm" is bad/wrong that those kinds of unscientific rhetoric does harm psychologically to individuals such as Steven Rios that it drove him to murder just because he was having an affair with the same-sex and I guess he couldn't cope with that fact especially since he already have a wife. But rather than dealing with the situation sanely, come in terms with his own sexuality, and discussing it with his wife without resulting in murder. To me that show how tormented (if I may use that word) internally he is with his sexuality. 585965984[/snapback] I see this the same as Scott Peterson, he had an a ffair and wanted to cover it up. It is more of an aside that it was a gay relationship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undeRliRcs Posted May 24, 2005 Author Share Posted May 24, 2005 I see this the same as Scott Peterson, he had an a ffair and wanted to cover it up. It is more of an aside that it was a gay relationship. 585965993[/snapback] Well I certainly hope so, but I personally don't understandy why those who have affairs can't just come clean and resolve the issue without murdering someone. But going back to the Scott Peterson case, he killed his wife and not the woman who he was having an affair with. In the case involving Steven Rios, he killed the man he was having an affair with and not his wife; that's why I'm leaning on the fact that he killed him because he himself was having an internal struggle in coming to terms with his sexuality. If you read the report, you'll see that he was living in an environment where he was not able to easily come to terms with who he really is. I personally think Scott Peterson had internal struggles just as Steven Rios did, however definately not about his own sexuality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mAcOdIn Veteran Posted May 24, 2005 Veteran Share Posted May 24, 2005 Reading the first article it definately seems the guy was giving the police officer trouble and that's why he was killed. He wanted to know if he was married or not, so he was trying to get to close to his "real" relationship. He had told his friend that he was mad about a parking ticket and had a "secret" the police might want to know. There's alot more to this story than him being gay or bi. It is completely possible that he may actually sttill love his wife, he did afterall marry her, and would have done the exact same thing to keep an affair with anyone, male or female, secret. Then it looks like Valencia was at atleast trying to milk his relationship with Rios, possibly to the point of blackmail. And I really don't think this happens more to gay or minority communities. This is a simple domestic affair, the fact the victim is gay is irrelevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undeRliRcs Posted May 24, 2005 Author Share Posted May 24, 2005 Reading the first article it definately seems the guy was giving the police officer trouble and that's why he was killed.He wanted to know if he was married or not, so he was trying to get to close to his "real" relationship. He had told his friend that he was mad about a parking ticket and had a "secret" the police might want to know. There's alot more to this story than him being gay or bi. It is completely possible that he may actually sttill love his wife, he did afterall marry her, and would have done the exact same thing to keep an affair with anyone, male or female, secret. Then it looks like Valencia was at atleast trying to milk his relationship with Rios, possibly to the point of blackmail. And I really don't think this happens more to gay or minority communities. This is a simple domestic affair, the fact the victim is gay is irrelevant. 585966499[/snapback] Perhaps, but without knowing them both personally I can't really say. Nonetheless these kinds of events shouldn't have the end result as they have had. As far as the statement goes, "This happens more so to minority communities." it really depends on who you ask because everyone have seen and heard differently; I've just seen and heard much more about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mAcOdIn Veteran Posted May 24, 2005 Veteran Share Posted May 24, 2005 Perhaps, but without knowing them both personally I can't really say. Nonetheless these kinds of events shouldn't have the end result as they have had. As far as the statement goes, "This happens more so to minority communities." it really depends on who you ask because everyone have seen and heard differently; I've just seen and heard much more about it. 585966562[/snapback] Because you look for it. If I spent all day looking for murdered white males I'd be consumed by it. Everyone killed is important, the moment you elevate one murder over all the others because of a persons creed, nationality, or sex, is the day that we start to lose respect for all the other people who are killed. If I were to make a post about everytime a straight white male was murdered I'd probably be posting every 45 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undeRliRcs Posted May 24, 2005 Author Share Posted May 24, 2005 Because you look for it. If I spent all day looking for murdered white males I'd be consumed by it.Everyone killed is important, the moment you elevate one murder over all the others because of a persons creed, nationality, or sex, is the day that we start to lose respect for all the other people who are killed. If I were to make a post about everytime a straight white male was murdered I'd probably be posting every 45 minutes. 585966867[/snapback] It's not a matter of whether or not I'm looking for it, I was simply posting an article to a murder case involving a gay/bi cop who was having an affair with college student, whom he later killed to hide the affair. I don't see how this is different than posting about a white male being murder. Maybe I was more drawn to the case because it involves a gay/bi cop who most likely couldn't come in terms with his sexuality and felt ashamed because of his community he lived in. Who later murders the man who he was having an affair with. I don't see how I was elevating this case above others. To be honest it seems like you are unintentionally accusing me of elevating this case when I am not. When you simply say that "This is a simple domestic affair, the fact the victim is gay is irrelevant." I think that is just brushing aside relevant facts and hiding possible prejudice motives in the shadows and preventing justice to be done. You have to look at all aspects of a case, not just those that are deemed important to one specific person or group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mAcOdIn Veteran Posted May 24, 2005 Veteran Share Posted May 24, 2005 It's not a matter of whether or not I'm looking for it, I was simply posting an article to a murder case involving a gay/bi cop who was having an affair with college student, whom he later killed to hide the affair. I don't see how this is different than posting about a white male being murder. Maybe I was more drawn to the case because it involves a gay/bi cop who most likely couldn't come in terms with his sexuality and felt ashamed because of his community he lived in. Who later murders the man who he was having an affair with. I don't see how I was elevating this case above others. To be honest it seems like you are unintentionally accusing me of elevating this case when I am not. When you simply say that "This is a simple domestic affair, the fact the victim is gay is irrelevant." I think that is just brushing aside relevant facts and hiding possible prejudice motives in the shadows and preventing justice to be done. You have to look at all aspects of a case, not just those that are deemed important to one specific person or group. 585966918[/snapback] The reason I say that is because you made like 5 posts in a row all covering the same theme. It looks like you're sitting in your room trying to paint yourself as a victim. And what difference does the guy being gay or not have to do with justice? Me saying his sexuality has no merits doesn't change anything concerning the case. it's not like they'd let the cop off if he had killed a woman instead. Who you kill should not and does not make a difference on whether your'e guilty or not. And prejudice? What the hell does prejudice have to do with murder? Is prejudice a better or worse reason to kill than say jealousy, greed, plain malice, or accidently? Do you think he should be more harshly tried than say the guy who killed the girl who refused to give him a kiss? Murder is murder, you shouldn't place different levels of murder based on the reasonings behind your motive. What did you expect the ensuing discussion to be over this case? Did you expect statements like: "Oh no how, could someone murder a gay person" "Only in the US" "Our society is really going down the drain" What did you really expect to be said? It's sad that he was murdered, but you shouldn't surround yourself with cases of crime against homosexuals, you're going to drive yourself insane. If you continue to immerse yourself in it, you're going to become just as prejudice as some of the people in your other threads. I mean how can you have an objective view when you seek out everything done to like minded people? But that's where you've really lost it IMO. You associate yourself with a small group of people instead of all of us as a whole. If you make yourself an outsider than you will be an outsider, if you always think you're a victim you'll always be a victim, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undeRliRcs Posted May 24, 2005 Author Share Posted May 24, 2005 The reason I say that is because you made like 5 posts in a row all covering the same theme. It looks like you're sitting in your room trying to paint yourself as a victim.And what difference does the guy being gay or not have to do with justice? Me saying his sexuality has no merits doesn't change anything concerning the case. it's not like they'd let the cop off if he had killed a woman instead. Who you kill should not and does not make a difference on whether your'e guilty or not. And prejudice? What the hell does prejudice have to do with murder? Is prejudice a better or worse reason to kill than say jealousy, greed, plain malice, or accidently? Do you think he should be more harshly tried than say the guy who killed the girl who refused to give him a kiss? Murder is murder, you shouldn't place different levels of murder based on the reasonings behind your motive. What did you expect the ensuing discussion to be over this case? Did you expect statements like: "Oh no how, could someone murder a gay person" "Only in the US" "Our society is really going down the drain" What did you really expect to be said? It's sad that he was murdered, but you shouldn't surround yourself with cases of crime against homosexuals, you're going to drive yourself insane. If you continue to immerse yourself in it, you're going to become just as prejudice as some of the people in your other threads. I mean how can you have an objective view when you seek out everything done to like minded people? But that's where you've really lost it IMO. You associate yourself with a small group of people instead of all of us as a whole. If you make yourself an outsider than you will be an outsider, if you always think you're a victim you'll always be a victim, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. 585966990[/snapback] I was just on a roll as far as posting news items that might be of interest, and it wasn't 5 posts, it was only 2. It seems like you have the notion that I was saying because he murdered the man he had an affair with was a determining factor in whether or not he is guilty; I never once said that. Where did I place different levels of murder based on the reasonings behind someone's motive? I was simply posting a story. I was expecting people to comment about the case and also discuss why someone such as Steven Rios or Scott Peterson must kill someone in order to hide an affair or gain something from it. At times I do get extremely angry at those who are prejudice towards any group of people, NOT just gay people. While what I wish to do is up to me and it does make me angry and sad to see the injustice; it doesn't make me prejudice against anyone, wasn't sure where you were going with it. My question is why the article I posted have created such a fuss with you? It's just an article, whether it involes straight, gay, bisexual, transgender, or Martians; it doesn't really matter in the court of law (to an extent). But I still don't see what you're getting at? Had I posted about a case similar to the Steven Rios case but involving only straight people, would you have asked all those questions you've asked me? Again, I was simply posting an article I found interesting just like any other article. I don't understand why I must justify this ordinary post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted May 25, 2005 Veteran Share Posted May 25, 2005 Perhaps it has to do whether this is a Real World Issue or not. It sounds to me like it is a local issue with no societal implications. The young man was killed to protect a marriage. It would seem that it could have easily been a young women killed to protect a marriage. [Thread Moved from RWI to NFN] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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