Steven Rios

Steven Arthur Rios was born in approximately 1977 and grew up in Missouri. He eventually joined the Columbia Police Department and became a police officer in Columbia, Missouri.

Rios was married and had a young child at the time of Jesse Valencia's murder. He was regarded positively by colleagues and had established a career in law enforcement before his personal relationship with Valencia became the centre of a murder investigation.

Rios first encountered Valencia in April 2004 while responding to a police call concerning a party near the University of Missouri campus. Rios arrested Valencia for obstructing police. The two subsequently developed a sexual relationship.

Rios's only confirmed murder was the killing of Jesse Valencia.

On June 5, 2004, Valencia, a 23-year-old University of Missouri student, was found dead in a field or yard near his off-campus apartment in Columbia. His throat had been slashed.

Investigators established that Valencia had been involved in a sexual relationship with Rios shortly before his death. Prosecutors argued that Rios killed Valencia because he feared the relationship would be exposed, potentially destroying his marriage and police career.

Evidence presented at trial indicated that Valencia had discussed telling Columbia's police chief about the relationship. DNA consistent with Rios was also found beneath Valencia's fingernails.

Rios used his familiarity with law enforcement and his personal relationship with Valencia to gain access to him.

According to the prosecution's case, Rios confronted Valencia at or near his apartment and choked him into unconsciousness before slashing his throat with a knife. Valencia's body was subsequently left outside near his apartment.

The killing was considered a targeted attack rather than a random murder. Prosecutors argued that Rios's motive was to prevent Valencia from revealing their sexual relationship.

After Valencia's body was discovered on June 5, 2004, investigators began examining his recent relationships and activities.

Rios initially denied having a sexual relationship with Valencia but eventually acknowledged the relationship during the investigation. Police also discovered evidence linking the two men, including DNA found beneath Valencia's fingernails.

Investigators learned that Valencia had reportedly intended to tell Rios's police chief about their relationship. This became a central element of the prosecution's theory concerning motive.

Rios was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He pleaded not guilty.

Rios's first trial took place in 2005. He was convicted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action and received life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, together with a 10-year sentence for the armed-criminal-action conviction.

However, the Missouri Court of Appeals overturned the murder conviction in 2007 and ordered a new trial. The court found that the trial judge had improperly admitted two hearsay statements attributed to Valencia.

Rios was retried in December 2008. The second jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. The jury recommended life imprisonment for the murder and 23 years for armed criminal action.

On January 16, 2009, the court imposed the recommended sentences and ordered them to run consecutively. His convictions were affirmed by the Missouri Court of Appeals in 2010.

The case received substantial attention because Rios was a serving police officer, was married with a young child, and had been involved in a secret sexual relationship with Valencia.

The prosecution's theory was that Valencia's threat to expose the relationship gave Rios a powerful motive to silence him. Prosecutor Morley Swingle argued during the first trial that Rios had used his position as a police officer to initiate the relationship and then used a knife to silence Valencia.

Rios's first conviction being overturned did not end the case. At the retrial, prosecutors were able to obtain a second-degree murder conviction despite the loss of the earlier hearsay evidence. The resulting life sentence and consecutive 23-year sentence were upheld on appeal.

Rios also challenged his second conviction through post-conviction proceedings, arguing, among other things, that his lawyers had been ineffective. The Missouri Court of Appeals rejected those claims in 2012.

Sources:

• Columbia Police Department
• Boone County Prosecutor's Office
• Missouri Court of Appeals
• Missouri Department of Corrections
• University of Missouri
• Associated Press
• CNN
• Advocate
• Columbia Missourian
• Dateline NBC