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Season 28, episode 21 of Oxygen's Snapped, which originally aired on January 24, 2021, analyzed the case of Velia Guevara's death, who became a sacrificial pawn in a scheme allegedly plotted by her husband who wanted to get rid of her to be with someone else. While a simple divorce may have solved his problem, James Guevara took the other way around with the help of his mistress, Minnie Salinas.
Dating back to May 26, 1993, this case remained unsolved for quite a long time. Velia Guevara was found dead by her husband in her San Antonio apartment after being shot three times in the abdomen. The synopsis for the episode read:
"Police race for answers after a school teacher is found murdered in her San Antonio, Texas, apartment; while lies and betrayals come to light, the case goes cold, but one detective refuses to give up."
It was 1999 when Minnie and James were formally charged with the crime and eventually convicted.
Who was Velia Guevara, and how did she die?
Velia Guevara was born Velia Acosta in San Antonio, Texas, in 1960. She belonged to a tight-knit catholic family and had two sisters. She grew up in Texas and earned a degree in education after finishing school. Velia was described as "bright, beautiful, lively, and bubbly" by those close to her.
Velia Guevara became a kindergarten teacher and was equally popular among her students and peers. She met James Guevara and married him in 1990. James worked for a local newspaper, and things started to look bright for them. However, their situation took a turn for the worse when James' newspaper company shut down in 1993. Even then, this was the least of Velia's tragedies.
On the afternoon of May 26, 1993, James called 911 to report that his wife was lying unresponsive. As per his account, he had returned from playing golf when he found his wife lying dead on the apartment floor. The police immediately suspected James, but he had a tight alibi.
Former San Antonio Police Detective Daniel Gonzales said on the show:
"I suspected that Velia maybe knew the person that shot her...We also suspected that maybe she had walked in and the person that shot and killed her had already been there basically waiting for her."
Gonzales' hunch was right and soon enough, other clues started surfacing, though James managed to suppress a few. The assistant apartment manager at the time, Shelley Stelzer, claimed that a suspicious woman had come into the leasing office to ask to use the phone. Another maintenance worker claimed that this stranger woman was trying to take a closer look at Velia Guevara's apartment.
These suspicions eventually led the police to Minnie Salinas, who was confirmed to be having an affair with James Guevara. However, all the evidence in this case was circumstantial, and eventually, the charges against both Minnie and James were dropped.
It took another two years before the new D.A. came and finally prosecuted the duo after they secretly married. Their marriage was a testimony to the fact that it was a long-drawn plan to remove Velia from the scene. Though no physical evidence was found, the jury used circumstantial evidence to prosecute them. Minnie and James were charged with first-degree murder of Velia Salinas and were both sentenced to prison.
This case remains one of the most prolific ones in the history of San Antonio.
