Murder Under the Friday Night Lights: How did Valerie Zavala Wilson die? 

Murder Under the Friday Night Lights first premiered back in 2022. Based on several true crime stories, Murder Under the Friday Night Lights takes an incisive look at shocking real-life murders that affected the landscape of otherwise intensely fraternal high-school football communities. Among the other true crime stories featured in Murder Under The Friday Night Lights, the case of Valerie Zavala Wilson is particularly poignant.

As per Murder Under the Friday Night Lights, Valerie Zavala Wilson was a former cheerleader who was invited to a New Year's party with high school football players and other athletes. Her semi-naked dead body was later found, leading to a police investigation replete with several shocking twists and turns.

It was subsequently revealed that the actual killer was Samuel 'Sammy' Puebla. He was incidentally the last person to see Wilson alive.

The investigation further revealed that Wilson had not been murdered where her body was found. The coroner's department had listed the cause of Wilson's death as asphyxiation and blunt force trauma to the head. Here's everything we know.

---

Murder Under the Friday Night Lights: What happened to Valerie Zavala Wilson?

As depicted on Murder Under the Friday Night Lights, the tragic incident took place more than two decades ago on New Year's Day, 2003. The scene of the crime was Fillmore, California, which is known for being a citrus-farming town.

A call was made to emergency services 911 and the caller reported discovering the body of a woman by a roadside drainage culvert. The body was covered with cypress branches and contained a single earring. The blood on her ear wasn't dry yet, suggesting the fact that the body hadn't remained long in the location where it was discovered.

As per Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub:

"The body was partially nude, the shirt was pulled up. The bottom clothing, pants or a skirt … was missing."

The body was subsequently identified as being that of nineteen-year-old Wilson and her death was instantly ruled out as not being accidental. Sheriff Ayub had further attested to Wilson's character, stating that she was loved in her community and had no enemies who would be out to cause her harm. Wilson was a student at San Jose State University at the time of her death and studying to be a teacher.

---

A long-drawn police investigation

Murder Under the Friday Night Lights details the subsequent police investigation that took place to unearth the culprits behind Wilson's murder. Wilson had attended a friend's New Year's Eve party. She departed for the party at 8:30 P.M., and checked in with her parents at 1 A.M., informing them that her friend Anna had been drinking and that she was bringing her home in Anna's car.

Wilson also promised to drop off seventeen-year-old Sammy Puebla, her sister's classmate. Detectives were looking for Anna's automobile to collect evidence and wanted to interrogate Puebla. He acknowledged that he attended the party and that Wilson offered him a ride home.

The police ultimately received a tip from a couple driving out of Fillmore early on the same day on which the murder took place. The inquiry was ultimately able to reveal the truth, and Sammy was recognized as Wilson's murderer. Sammy was found guilty of murder and during an attempted s*xual assault. He was convicted to life in prison. He is now incarcerated at Ironwood State Prison in California.

Murder Under the Friday Night Lights is available on Max and Amazon Prime Video.