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Diana Ornelas, 22, was arrested on Wednesday, April 26, for the alleged slaying of Oliver Waterfall, 24. Her first court appearance was scheduled for Friday, where Diana Ornelas was charged with first-degree murder. During her arrest, Diana was at a Stanford University preschool. Apart from Ornelas, Dennis Novoa, 27, was also arrested in connection to Oliver’s demise.
It was stated that Diana Ornelas reportedly taught her students at the preschool for almost two months after the alleged murder of the 24-year-old man. Officials at the Children’s Center of the Stanford Community revealed that the arrest happened when the kids were not present.
Officials believe the victim died almost a month before he was discovered along a Santa Cruz County highway on April 11. Law enforcement officials revealed that on that day, they were called at around 7 pm after a dead body was found on Highway 9 near mile marker 3.56. The officials further said that Diana was friends with both Waterfall and Novoa.
Stanford preschool teacher Diana Ornelas has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to Oliver Waterfall’s alleged killing
Authorities found the remains of Waterfall on April 11, 2023, along a Santa Cruz highway. Two suspects, Diana Ornelas and Dennis Novoa, were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly committing the gruesome crime. The Stanford Daily reported that Ornelas, who lives in Santa Clara, was arrested from the preschool (Children’s Center of the Stanford Community) where she worked as a teacher.
CCSC officials released a statement to the parents that said:
“The arrest happened at naptime and outside of the perimeter of the CCSC [Children’s Center of the Stanford Community] campus. The children were not present when this occurred, and it did not disrupt operations.”
The suspects allegedly shot the victim to death and then dumped him near a highway. The childcare facility caters only to the children of Stanford students and staff and is an independent non-profit establishment. Upon investigation, officers discovered that Waterfall was fatally shot, and it has been almost a month since his death. As has already been mentioned, Dennis Novoa was also taken into custody and charged in connection to Oliver Waterfall’s slaying.
CCSC’s letter to the parents also revealed that Diana Ornelas was fired from her job shortly after she was taken into custody. She was initially held on $1 million bail, but a judge granted her a no-bail order. Similarly, Novoa has been held on a no-bail grant as well. Both Diana Ornelas and Novoa’s arraignment has been scheduled for May 17, 2023.
The sheriff’s office addressed the tragic case, saying:
“Over the past two weeks, detectives have been conducting interviews and reviewing surveillance footage related to the case.”
After conducting interviews and going through surveillance footage, deputies concluded that Novoa and Diana Ornelas killed 24-year-old Oliver Waterfall, who belonged to San Jose. They said:
“Dennis and Diana were known to Mr. Waterfall. The motive of the homicide is believed to be of a personal nature.”
Despite claiming that Diana and Dennis knew Waterfall, police could not reveal the exact relationship between the three individuals. Deputies also referred to a Facebook post that Waterfall uploaded back in February that mentioned Dennis Novoa. It read:
“Shoutout to the homie Dennis Novoa for teaching me how to grow.”
He also posted lots of images of bundles of cash, a handgun, and psychedelic paraphernalia.
University officials stated that the tragic shooting of Oliver Waterfall was not at all connected to the campus community
University spokesperson Luisa Rapport stated that the tragic incident had no link with “the campus community.” The message to the parents additionally said:
“The arrest resulted from an incident that was in no relation to CCSC or Stanford University, and CCSC knew nothing of the arrest before the officers arrived.”
Assistant Director Rachel Lim and Director of Childcare Janet Zamudio further added:
“We are all shocked and distressed by this news because CCSC is a place and community that means so much to all of us.”
Rapport additionally said that authorities arrested Diana Ornelas “with assistance” from the Stanford University Department of Public Safety. Police revealed that an autopsy was conducted which determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound. Rapport stated:
“[The University] does not tolerate violence or threats of violence anywhere on campus or in connection with university-sponsored events.”
The exact motive behind the alleged crime is yet to be determined by law enforcement officials. They are yet to reveal further details surrounding the alleged homicide. Authorities have also urged the public to come up and contact them if they have any information regarding the case. Both Ornelas and Novoa are facing first-degree murder charges. Gun violence has become a serious issue all across the United States, and actions must be taken to deal with it.
