In a recent court case, a 46-year-old man was found guilty of murdering his lover’s husband in his sleep at a Westminster apartment. The jury determined that the motive behind the slaying was financial gain.
After less than two hours of deliberation, an Orange County Superior Court jury convicted Roberto Saavedra-Gallardo of first-degree murder. Saavedra-Gallardo conspired with Olga Vasquez-Collazos to carry out the killing of Adrian Zapata in 2014.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Saavedra-Gallardo and Vasquez-Collazos plotted to kill Zapata in order to further their own relationship and gain ownership of Zapata’s limited assets.
“The defendant took Zapata’s life for love and his meager financial assets – a small 401k, a small life insurance, and a little bit of property in Peru – all to start a new life with Ms. Vasquez,” stated Deputy District Attorney Janine Madera during her closing arguments.
The prosecutor asserted that Saavedra-Gallardo personally carried out the murder by striking Zapata in the head multiple times and stabbing him in the neck and shoulder. However, Saavedra-Gallardo’s defense attorney, Shannon Winston, denied his involvement and pointed out the lack of forensic evidence linking him to the crime scene. Winston argued that Vasquez-Collazos was the one with both the means and motivation to kill her husband.
According to court records, Saavedra-Gallardo and Vasquez-Collazos met in Peru and had a relationship prior to Vasquez-Collazos marrying Zapata. Despite her marriage, Vasquez-Collazos resumed her relationship with Saavedra-Gallardo, even living with him in Peru and later in Zapata’s apartment in Westminster.
The couple engaged in sexually explicit chats through Skype, and Saavedra-Gallardo moved to the United States to be with Vasquez-Collazos when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2014.
Zapata, realizing his wife’s involvement with Saavedra-Gallardo, became increasingly moody and stressed, according to his co-workers. The prosecutor argued that Vasquez-Collazos married Zapata for his money and to gain entry into the United States, not out of love.
In May 2014, Vasquez-Collazos ran into a neighbor’s apartment, claiming she had discovered her husband’s lifeless body in their bedroom. Detectives found no signs of forced entry, and valuable items were left undisturbed. They suspected an attempt to make the scene look like a robbery. Additionally, they found a nightie and condom in Zapata’s car, likely placed to create the illusion of an affair.
Through text messages and phone records, detectives uncovered frequent communication between Saavedra-Gallardo and Vasquez-Collazos leading up to the murder, as well as evidence of a meeting on the day of the crime. The prosecution believed that Vasquez-Collazos gave Saavedra-Gallardo a key to her apartment during this meeting.
While Saavedra-Gallardo’s attorney acknowledged his presence in Orange County on the morning of the murder, she argued that it was solely for the purpose of meeting Vasquez-Collazos and not to carry out the crime. There were no witnesses who saw him entering or leaving the apartment building, according to Winston.
Saavedra-Gallardo is scheduled to return to court for sentencing and may face life in prison without the possibility of parole. Vasquez-Collazos has already been convicted of murder and conspiracy in her husband’s slaying and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in 2021.
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