Roberto Saavedra-Gallardo, a 46-year-old man, was convicted of killing his lover’s husband, 58-year-old Adrian Zapata, as the victim slept at a Westminster apartment. The O.C. Superior Court jury also found that the killing was carried out for Saavedra-Gallardo’s financial gain.
Saavedra-Gallardo was found guilty of first degree murder for conspiring with his lover, Olga Vasquez-Collazos, to kill Zapata back in 2014.
The OCDA prosecutors made the case that Saavedra-Gallardo and Vasquez-Collazos plotted to kill Zapata to get him out of the way so they could be together and to also ensure they had some money by taking the property that Zapata owned.
Zapata had a small 401 K and a small property in Peru according to Deputy District Attorney Janine Madera.
Madera told the jurors that Saavedra-Gallardo was the one who actually killed Zapata by striking him at least twice in the back of the head with enough force to fracture his skull and then stabbing him at least seven times in the neck and shoulder.
Shannon Winston, Saavedra-Gallardo’s public defense attorney, argued that Saavedra-Gallardo was not the killer. Winston maintained that Saavedra-Gallardo already had a sexual relationship with Vasquez-Collazos and there was zero forensic evidence that connected him to the murder scene. Winston threw Vasquez-Collazos under the bus arguing that she had the means and the motive to kill her husband, Zapata.
Saavedra-Gallardo and Vasquez-Collazos met in Peru and were in a dating relationship before Vasquez-Collazos ended up marrying the much older Zapata. He was 20 years her senior and was employed as a technician at the Fountain Valley Medical Center.
Although Vasquez-Collazos was married she apparently hooked up again with Saavedra-Gallardo while she and her two sons lived in a penthouse that Zapata owned in Peru and then after she and the boys moved into Zapata’s apartment in Westminster.
Saavedra-Gallardo followed Vasquez-Collazos to the U.S. after having sexy chats with her via Skype and after Vasquez-Collazos was diagnosed with cancer back in 2014. Saavedra-Gallardo lived and worked at the time with a friend who owned a body shop in the City of Van Nuys.
Zapata eventually discovered that his wife was hooking up with Saavedra-Gallardo and became moody and stressed out according to a few of his co-workers.
Madera argued that that Vasquez-Collazos had in fact never loved Zapata, but had instead used him for his money and to move to the United States.
Zapata was found dead by his wife, Vasquez-Collazos, on the morning of May 22, 2014. She was hysterical as she told a neighbor that she had returned home to find her Zapata dead in their bedroom.
The responding police officers did not find any signs of forced entry into the residence. Valuables — including electronics — were left untouched in plain sight although some items in the bedroom were displaced. Police detectives suspected that someone was trying to make the murder look like a robbery. The investigators also found a nightie and a condom in Zapata’s car, but believed that the items had been staged there to make it look like he was involved in an affair.
Detectives learned that Saavedra-Gallardo and Vasquez-Collazos had communicated repeatedly leading up to the killing by referring to text messages and phone records. They met the day of the murder and the detectives suspected that Vasquez-Collazos gave Saavedra-Gallardo a key to her apartment.
Winston admitted that Saavedra-Gallardo was in Orange County the morning Zapata was killed, however she told the jury that he was there just to hook up with Vasquez-Collazos.
Winston also said that no one saw her client entering or leaving the apartment building.
Saavedra-Gallardo will return to court at a later date for sentencing. He could end up in prison for life without the possibility of parole.
Vasquez-Collazos was already convicted of murder and conspiracy for her role in her husband’s slaying however the jury found that she did not kill her husband for financial gain. Vasquez-Collazos was sentenced in 2021 to 25 years to life in prison. It is not known what became of her children.
