Former Midshipman Convicted Of Murder Diane Zamora Gets 40 Years For Ordering Boyfriend To Kill Girl
Diane Zamora, a high-achieving former Naval Academy midshipman who dreamed of being an astronaut, must spend nearly 40 years in prison for the slaying of 16-year-old Adrianne Jones of Mansfield, Texas.
Jurors convicted Zamora, 20, of capital murder after deliberating for about six hours on Monday and for about 45 minutes Tuesday. She was sentenced to life in prison and will be eligible for parole in 40 years. She was credited with 18 months served since her arrest in September 1996.
Zamora’s attorney, John Linebarger, said he plans to appeal.
Zamora was accused along with her boyfriend of killing Jones on Dec. 4, 1995, in revenge for a sexual liaison Jones had with the boyfriend, former Air Force Academy cadet David Graham.
After the verdict, Zamora stared solemnly ahead and maintained a pensive look as Jones’ family stood and spoke about how the teenager’s death changed their lives. Zamora never turned to look at Jones’ parents and two brothers.
“We will never know what heights she would have risen to because of this animal act. And we shall have to wonder the rest of our lives,” said Jones’ father, Bill Jones. “One thing we will never wonder about, pause about or be curious about is our pride in Adrianne.”
Over nine days of testimony, prosecutors presented four witnesses who said Zamora admitted that she ordered Graham, her former fiance, to kill Jones. Prosecutors also introduced confessions to police by Zamora and Graham.
Linebarger said he will appeal the verdict on the grounds that Graham’s confession should not have been admitted in the trial and because jurors were not allowed to consider a lesser charge of murder.
Assistant District Attorney Mike Parrish, the lead prosecutor, said he believes the case was solid from the first week of the trial, which featured four witness statements - from her best friend, two Naval Academy peers and a police detective.
“Six or seven people had to be untruthful and Diane Zamora had to be truthful for them to acquit her,” Parrish said. “What it came down to is which side is telling the truth and which side is not. It was a simple lawsuit in that regard.”
According to the witness statements, Zamora demanded Jones’ death after Graham claimed he had sex with the Mansfield High School sophomore. The two lured Jones out of her Mansfield home before dawn Dec. 4, 1995, and drove her to a secluded southwest Grand Prairie road, according to those statements. Zamora reportedly crept out from the car’s trunk, where she was hiding, and struck Jones on the head with a weight. When Jones tried to flee, Graham chased her and shot her twice in the head, testimony showed.
The slaying went unsolved for about nine months until Zamora confided to two Naval Academy roommates.
Throughout the trial, defense attorneys presented Graham as a domineering boyfriend obsessed with guns, violence and sex. On the witness stand, Zamora detailed a pattern of threats and abusive behavior by Graham. She also said she was unaware that Graham intended to kill Jones, and that she had only hoped to confront the teen. In explaining the four witness statements, Zamora said that previous witnesses were lying or mistaken.
Zamora was prosecuted before Graham because Parrish said he considers her the mastermind in the slaying.
“But for Diane Zamora, Adrianne Jones walks the earth this day,” he said. “She was the moving force behind the death of Adrianne Jones. David Graham, once he got the order, the ultimatum, he decided how to carry it out.”