Man convicted in woman’s murder, but we still don’t know who she is, CA officials say
Thirteen years ago, a woman was kidnapped and strangled to death, California officials said.
Her body was dumped at an Irvine business complex and set on fire, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a Tuesday, Nov. 15, news release.
A man, Zenaido Valdivia-Guzman, 36, was just convicted in her murder, according to the release. His brother has also been charged in her death.
Yet, despite a murder conviction and more than a decade of time elapsing, authorities still don’t know her identity, the release said.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office told McClatchy News information for the lawyers of Zenaido Valdivia-Guzman and his brother were not immediately available.
Woman’s kidnapping and death
On Sept. 5, 2009, Zenaido Valdivia-Guzman and his brother, Gabino Valdivia-Guzman, were driving a van in Santa Ana when they saw a woman, the release said. Gabino Valdivia-Guzman convinced her to get in.
“Once the woman realized Zenaido was also in the vehicle she started screaming and tried to get away,” the release said.
Zenaido Valdivia-Guzman “strangled the woman to death,” according to the release. His brother then drove the van to a business complex in Irvine.
There, Gabino Valdivia-Guzman is “accused of pulling the woman’s body out of the van and setting it on fire,” the release said.
“This woman did not deserve to have her life ended in such a horrific way by a complete stranger,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the release.
A jury convicted Zenaido Valdivia-Guzman of “first-degree murder and the special circumstance of murder in the commission of a kidnapping,” the release said.
Zenaido Valdivia-Guzman, who could be sentenced to life in prison without parole, is expected to be sentenced on Dec. 15, according to the release.
His brother, who has pleaded not guilty, is facing the same charges as his brother, the release said.
Authorities have not identified the woman and are still looking for answers, the release said. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 949-724-7233.
Santa Ana is about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 9:15 AM with the headline "Man convicted in woman’s murder, but we still don’t know who she is, CA officials say."
