Adult Time for Adult Crime: Samuel Puebla

Posted October 29th, 2009 at 5.11pm in Rule of Law.

On November 9th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments challenging the constitutionality of juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentences. In preparation for oral arguments, JLWOP: Faces & Cases will be an on-going series on The Foundry that will tell real stories about juvenile offenders who are currently serving LWOP sentences.

Defendant: Samuel Puebla (17)
Victim: Valerie Zavala
Crimes: First degree murder, attempted rape and felony murder
Crime date: January 1, 2003 in Fillmore, California

Summary
Samuel Puebla attempted to rape a college student whom he met at a party and, when she resisted, beat her head and chest before strangling her to death with his bare hands.

Facts
Valerie Zavala was an attractive 19-year-old student attending college in San Jose, California. She had graduated from Fillmore High School and was returning home to visit her family during the Christmas and New Year’s break.

On December 31, 2002, Zavala attended a New Year’s Eve party at the home of a friend in Fillmore. There she ran into Puebla, a senior at Fillmore High School. At around 2 a.m., as the party was winding down, Puebla asked Zavala for a ride home. Zavala agreed and offered to drive an intoxicated female friend to her home, too. After dropping off her friend, she set off for Puebla’s home.

As Zavala was driving, Puebla attempted to sexually assault her. When Zavala resisted, Puebla choked her until she fell unconscious for a short period of time. After she came to, she managed to escape Puebla and ran.

Puebla chased Zavala and caught her in the parking lot of a nearby church. He struck her head with such force that it ruptured her eardrum. Zavala fell to the ground. Puebla ripped off her clothing, yanked out her tampon, and attempted to rape her, without success. Zavala struggled to defend herself, but Puebla struck her repeatedly on the head, sat on her chest, and ultimately strangled her with his hands.

Puebla dumped Zavala’s body in a drainage culvert, where a jogger found it the next morning.

A search of the crime scene produced Zavala’s earring, tampon, and underwear. Trace, circumstantial, and biological evidence, including DNA, connected Puebla to the crimes, and he was convicted and sentenced to life without parole.

Charles D. Stimson is Senior Legal Fellow and Andrew M. Grossman is Senior Legal Policy Analyst in the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation.

Author: Cully Stimson
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9 Comments

October 30, 2009 BT, Port Allen, LA writes:

I’m not surprised why the ACLU website does not use this story, and others that have appeared on Heritage website, to lament how “bad” the JLWOP sentencing is.I just don’t understand how they can water down the facts and make it seem like “kids” as young as 13 ( I believe I had heard the figure was are being unjustly and cruelly punished for crimes that they committed.

October 30, 2009 Garry, Phoenix writes:

Gotta love those macho males….

October 30, 2009 Mike Winsauer, Kingston, TN writes:

I wish that this POHG (piece of human garbage) would get to read these comments so he can know much he and others like him are hated for the heinous crimes they commit. Like most other murders, he is a coward and a total loser. If put in prison, there is always a chance he could be released by some out-of-touch judge and then be free to continue raping and killing innocent victims.

He should get the ultimate sentence to ensure the safety of all decent people.

Anything less is a travesty.

October 30, 2009 E Fresquez writes:

I certainly don’t think these guys need any breaks. These guys are cry babies, they want to play but don’t want to pay. They go to jail for crimes they commit and then cry they were just a kid. In my time, age didn’t matter, you got your sentence you did the time. Let them pay!

October 30, 2009 jlm0888 writes:

The majority of these child monsters are hispanic, but we don’t have a problem with immigration laws run amuck, sanctuary cities, a border like a sieve, and a bunch of politicians who are encouraging the takeover of our country so they can buy votes (via entitlement programs) with our tax dollars.

October 30, 2009 Stacie Pike, Madera, Ca. writes:

Mu daughter, too, was murdered by her fiance’s 16 year old ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. My daughter was a really sweet person and never said a bad word about anybody-she was trying to be freinds with the perpatrators. We still haven’t gone to court yet and its been almost 2 years. I hope they get what’s coming to them! ALL these cowards need to be gone from society asap!

October 30, 2009 Jill, California writes:

Stacie, my heart goes out to you. I know there are no words that anyone can say to make it better.

Unfortunately, society is filled with bad people who think nothing of taking another life. Meanwhile, your heart will ache forever. And when you do get your day in court, you will be victimized again, forced to hear painful details while the legal system bends over backwards to protect the rights of the people who took your daughter from you. Those people deserve no more mercy or consideration than they showed your daughter.

For what it’s worth, I send you a hug of support. It’s not much with all the pain you’re facing, but at least someone out in cyberspace cares.

October 30, 2009 Maggie, Sacramento Ca writes:

A message to Stacie Pike. Dear Stacie, we are truly sorry about your daughters murder. Those of us who have loved ones who were murdered by juveniles have started an organization to try to beat this liberal movement across the USA. Please look up National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Lifer (NOVJL) http://www.jlwopvictims.org and get in touch with us. We need all the help we can get. My husband of 29 years was beaten to death with a metal pipe by two Juveniles,ages 15 & 16. The only cruel & unusal punishement that I know of is what our loved ones went through as they were being murdered. Spending the rest of your life in prison because of a BAD CHOICE you made is NOT Cruel & Unusual punishment!..it is called justice. The day our loved ones can walk back into our lives is the day these vicious killers can walk the street again!

November 2, 2009 Bill S., Kihei, Maui, HI writes:

To err is human; to forgive, Divine. So let’s leave the forgiveness to God and meet out fair justice on earth.

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