WAG - Valencia-Rios Summary
I've had some questions from curious MU students who are way for the summer but are hearing stories of murder and mayhem going on in Columbia.
Here's what I know so far having followed the story from the beginning.
Let me try to boil this down into more easily digested pieces:
A MU history student (Valencia) was found dead a short distance from his house on East Campus.
He was only wearing his blue boxers and his throat was slashed.
He was last spotted walking downtown around 3:30 a.m. though his neighbors thought he heard people arguing in the apartment approximately at the same time.
Before his death, the student was having an affair with a married police officer (Rios), which the officer later confirmed in an affidavit.
The police officer was initially called to the scene to ID the body ( because he had once arrested the student in a crowd of others for disturbingt he peace). He was later directed to help secure the perimeter.
AT NO TIME DID HE REVEAL HIS PERSONAL CONNECTION TO THE STUDENT, AS IS DEPARTMENT POLICY.
Rumors began to leak out that people were afraid to talk to the police because they were protecting the officer who had relations with the student.
Only after it comes out through third sources does the police officer confirm his relation to the victim before he is placed on personal leave.
Getting material confirmed by six annonymous sources, the Columbia Missourian breaks the story, reporting the connection of the cop, his name, and how he did not come clean at the start of the investigation. The fact that he was married was orginally included, but accidently deleted when it went through the final editing process.
The Missourian will go on to break most of the details in the case despite heated debates in the newsroom whether or not this is right and what impact it may have.
The cop, while on leave, calls in to say he is considering shooting himself. Officers spend several hours trying to talk him out of it before getting him to come into protective custody.
A few hours later, the officer escapes protective custody and threatens to jump off the top floor of one of the local parking garages. Pictures of the standoff run in all the local papers (Trib to Maneater). He is talked out of it and placed in stricter mental care facility in Fulton.
The fact the officer was at the crime scene comes to light and questions surrounding tampering or tainting the area are raised.
The affidavit that confirms the relationship between the two and reports that the student was planning to tell the police chief about the relationship comes to light.
While the police department refuses to name him a suspect, terming him a "person of interest," they searched and removed several items from his home on Wednesday.
On the same day he resigned from the Columbia Police Department.
The ethics debate of the whole debacle continues to rage in the Missourian newsrooom, in letters to the editors, and in homes around the area.
Aren't you glad you aren't a Summer Welcome leader who has to explain this to parents of potential MU students?
'To_be_continued_I_have_no_doubt'
