A 46-year-old man was convicted on Tuesday for the murder of his lover’s husband in Westminster nearly a decade ago. The motive behind the crime was for the couple to be together and gain access to the victim’s assets. Robert Rafael Saavedra Gallardo was found guilty of murder with a special-circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain. The jury reached their verdict in just 90 minutes of deliberation. Saavedra is set to be sentenced on August 11 and could face life in prison without parole. Olga Vasquez-Collazos, his co-defendant, was convicted two years ago and received a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
The murder victim, 58-year-old Adrian Zapata, was found dead in his apartment on Brookhurst Street in May 2014.
Saavedra and Vasquez-Collazos met in Peru and were romantically involved. However, Vasquez-Collazos ended up marrying Zapata, whom she met while he was on holiday in Peru. According to Senior Deputy District Attorney Janine Madera, Zapata, who was an immigrant and naturalized citizen of the United States, married Vasquez-Collazos on September 10, 2011.
Zapata arranged for his wife and her two sons to move in with him in Westminster on April 17, 2013. Prior to this, she lived with Saavedra in Zapata’s condo in Peru and continued their affair.
In 2014, Vasquez-Collazos was diagnosed with cervical cancer and underwent surgery in April. Saavedra traveled to the US and stayed in a hotel near the hospital where Vasquez-Collazos was receiving treatment.
“The only obstacle for these lovers was the victim, Adrian Zapata,” said Madera during her opening statement at the trial.
Vasquez-Collazos was disappointed to discover that her husband was not as wealthy as she had assumed. Zapata started working longer hours, bought her a car, and became more stressed and reliant on substances. Madera stated that Zapata grew suspicious of his wife having an affair.
Saavedra and Vasquez-Collazos exchanged affectionate and explicit messages through Skype and Facebook. Vasquez-Collazos even discussed the possibility of moving elsewhere with her son, Renzo. Zapata discovered a secret Facebook page containing pictures of his wife and Saavedra, and he confronted Saavedra about the affair.
The defendants conspired to murder Zapata in order to be together, prioritizing their relationship above all else, according to Madera.
The murder also served as a means to gain possession of Zapata’s condo in Peru, an insurance policy, and funds from a 401K plan. However, Madera stated that the value of these assets was modest.
A significant portion of the evidence presented in court focused on the tracking of secret cell phones used by Saavedra and Vasquez-Collazos.
Madera alleged that Vasquez-Collazos had set up an alibi for herself on the day of the murder, claiming she was visiting UCI to obtain a note about her medical condition to provide to her employer. She also went to a grocery store before returning home to discover the body. Vasquez-Collazos allegedly gave Saavedra a house key, and there were no signs of a break-in.
Zapata suffered two blows to the back of his head, which fractured his skull, and was stabbed multiple times in the neck and shoulder.
Madera claimed that Saavedra staged the crime scene to look like a robbery, but valuable items such as a TV were left untouched.
Following the murder, Saavedra and Vasquez-Collazos refrained from communicating with each other for five days. However, they checked into the same hotel six days after the murder, with Vasquez-Collazos leaving her sons to spend the night with Saavedra. One of her sons grew concerned and began searching for her.
Saavedra’s attorney, Shannon Winston of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, reassured the jury that the evidence would prove his client’s innocence. Winston argued that Saavedra had no motive to kill Zapata, as his affair with Vasquez-Collazos remained unaffected. Additionally, Winston mentioned that the two could have married before Vasquez-Collazos met Zapata but chose not to.
Winston emphasized that Saavedra made no attempt to hide his relationship with Vasquez-Collazos and even introduced her as his girlfriend to his friend. “He is not trying to conceal anything. He has no reason to keep the relationship a secret,” said Winston.
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