Where Is Juan Gutierrez, After the Murder of Zenaida Soto? The Talks Today

Where Is Juan Gutierrez, After the Murder of Zenaida Soto?

Zenaida Soto was found stabbed to death on a couch when the Los Angeles Police Department responded to an unusual call about a probable murder on August 23, 1998. Unexpectedly, police also spotted a man outside the home who said he had found the body in his living room. The gruesome murder is detailed in “The Killer Closer: Deadly Reunion” on Investigation Discovery, which also demonstrates how the police were ultimately able to apprehend the killer. Let’s examine the case carefully and learn more, shall we?

Why Did Zenaida Soto Pass Away?

Zenaida Soto, a native of Los Angeles, California, was close with her family and had a good relationship with her sister. Additionally, Zenaida enjoyed a fair amount of popularity in her neighborhood, and many who knew her praised her for being a nice and giving person. According to the show, Zenaida had recently left an abusive relationship and was looking forward to a happy life before she was murdered. Her hopes, however, were destroyed when she lost her life as a result of a hate crime.

The Los Angeles Police Department received an emergency call on August 23, 1998, from an unidentified man who claimed to have found a girl unconscious on his couch when he had arrived home. Before disconnecting up, the man said he would tell authorities everything but seemed quite hazy in his explanation. When first responders arrived on the scene, they discovered the man outside the house and arrested him. After a thorough search of the home, detectives eventually found Zenaida’s body on a couch in the middle room.

That the victim had passed dead was clear to see. The first thing the cops saw on Zenaida’s body was many stab wounds. After an examination, it was discovered that the victim had struggled for her life before she was fatally stabbed. There were no traces of a forced entrance, suggesting that whomever killed the girl knew all about the residence, even though the police were able to find a knife wrapped in plastic that appeared to be the murder weapon.

Who killed Zenaida Soto?

Juan Gutierrez was found outside the crime scene, and the authorities later discovered that it was he who had dialed 911. Although he resided in the house where Zenaida’s body was discovered, Juan said that his brother had given him the property, and when he had arrived home that evening, he had discovered the victim on his sofa. Juan maintained his innocence and denied any role in the murder when probed further. Additionally, Juan’s brother supported his claims, so the police felt they should turn their attention elsewhere.

However, Juan accidentally referred to the victim by her name as they were winding up the interview, implying that they were already acquainted. The police started to look into Juan’s life because this led them to have more reason to suspect him. When police looked more closely into Juan’s life, they learned that he and Zenaida had been friends since they were little. The program also revealed that Juan had recently been released from jail and had a pretty violent criminal history prior to the murder.

When Zenaida’s sister approached the authorities and disclosed that she and the victim had met Juan a few days prior to the murder at a park, the police made their most important discovery. Zenaida and Juan were old acquaintances, so they hit it off right away and began spending a lot of time together. In addition, the program claimed that the victim’s sister reported the relationship to the police as abusive because Juan frequently raised his hand on Zenaida. The perpetrator now had a reason to kill and a chance to do so. Juan was detained and accused of the murder based on a wealth of circumstantial evidence.

Juan Gutierrez: Where Is He Now?

Juan Gutierrez maintained his innocence when he was introduced in court and entered a not guilty plea. But the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder. Juan received a sentence of 15 years to life in prison as a consequence in 1999. Interestingly, Juan’s appeal was rejected at his first parole hearing in 2016 and he was sent to prison. He continues to be imprisoned at the California Correctional Training Facility at Soledad as a result.

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