Dateline: Before Daylight - A complete investigation overview of Jesse Valencia's murder, explored

Dateline takes a look at a case in Before Daylight. This is the story of the 2004 murder of Jesse Valencia, a case that drew national attention. The boy was found dead near the University of Missouri campus, and it was Jesse's case that exposed internal wrongdoing within the police department itself.

What started off as a routine investigation soon turned into a scandal that included love, betrayal, and a major cover-up. Dateline investigates the circumstances of Jesse's murder, highlighting how the perpetrator was someone from within law enforcement.

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How a student's life became entangled with law enforcement

At first, Jesse Valencia seemed like any other college student, bright, outgoing, and full of life and promise. But as Dateline: Before Daylight shows, the young University of Missouri student's life was cut short by a law enforcement officer he knew personally.

Jesse had been dating a married Columbia police officer named Steven Rios, a relationship that began after a minor arrest.

The investigation around his death revealed that Rios, who was a respected officer with a new baby and a perfect record, had secretly been involved in a relationship with Jesse. Rios even helped at the crime scene after Jesse's body was found.

According to Detective John Short, the finding that a police officer might be tied to the case "changed everything." It wasn't just a murder investigation anymore, it was a look into the very system that had been set up to deliver justice.

As Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison narrates, what made this case frightening was how the lines between intimacy and authority were blurred. Rios’ dual life became important in understanding how a relationship built on secrecy could turn fatal.

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Dateline retraces the events of the night of the murder

June 5, 2004, were the last hours that Jesse Valencia was seen alive. However, soon after, his body was located near campus, and his injuries indicated a violent assault involving blunt force and a fatal knife wound. There were bruises on his chest and back, and a deep cut to his throat that looked like an intentional act.

Keith Morrison quotes:

"It was quite obvious this was a deliberate; determined killing..."

Detectives worked around the clock to track Jesse's final movements alive. Friends mentioned he'd been at a party the night before with a man named Ed, while another acquaintance, Zev, had tried to call him several times.

But the investigation took a sharp turn when DNA under Jesse's fingernails and hair found on his chest matched Officer Rios. The evidence contradicted Rios' story about being home after his shift. Officers recalled that he'd left the station earlier than he claimed, creating a troubling 20-minute gap in his timeline.

Morrison tested the route himself, driving from the police station to Jesse's apartment and then to Rios' home. The trip took just 15 minutes, exactly enough time for a meet-up to go wrong. As the prosecutor argued, the crime wasn't random. It was personal, driven by fear and exposure.

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The case against Steven Rios: From police officer to convicted murderer

When Rios finally confessed only to his affair with Jesse, his world began to collapse. His wife, Libby Sullivan, recalled the moment to Dateline, saying:

"I think I was just pretty quiet and in shock about it."

Within days, Rios' erratic behavior raised more alarms. He bought himself a shotgun and attempted to take his life twice. Detective Short later told Dateline:

"I just thought his behavior reeked of guilt."

By July 2004, police arrested Rios for Jesse's murder. In court, prosecutors detailed how Rios might have used a chokehold — a maneuver widely familiar to law enforcement. He may have used this method to subdue Jesse before the fatal stab wound.

Jesse's friend, Patrick Rogers, shared that Jesse had planned to "expose" the relationship, telling him:

"I'm going to out him to the police chief."

It became the very motive that finally tied everything together.

The trial ended in a life sentence without parole in 2005, later reduced to second-degree murder in a 2008 retrial. Even from behind bars, Rios maintains his innocence. He told Dateline's Keith Morrison:

"Some people think I'm a killer, some people think I'm not. I know I'm not."

But for Jesse's family, the loss remains eternal. His mother says:

"I miss him still...I think about him everyday. Every heartbeat."

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Dateline: Before Daylight doesn’t just revisit the case; it highlights how secrecy and abuse of power played a critical role in the events. The episode focuses on how Jesse became involved in a dangerous relationship that ultimately led to his death at the hands of a police officer.

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Also read: 5 harrowing details about Jesse Valencia's murder