Dateline: Before Daylight - How the Steven Rios murder investigation revealed a shocking affair: explained

Dateline NBC episode Before Daylight revisited the disturbing homicide of Columbia, Missouri resident Jesse Valencia on June 4, 2004.

The University of Missouri student (who was just in his mid-twenties then) was discovered dead near the campus and the cause of death was primarily reported to be a deep stab wound near his neck and throat region (there were multiple bruise marks on his body as well).

As reported on Dateline, the investigation unearthed a series of shocking facts related to the 23-year-old's murder and it was soon revealed that the whole incident escalated from an extramarital affair with a Columbia police officer, Steven Rios. Rios was eventually charged with murder and underwent two trials. The official synopsis of Dateline episode Before Daylight, per IMDb, reads:

"College student Jesse James Valencia, age 23, is murdered on 6/5/2004 in Columbia, MO. Police investigate a member of their own department. Ex-cop Steven Rios is convicted of the murder and is sentenced to life imprisonment without parole."

The deceased Jesse James Wade Valencia was having an affair with Steven Rios

According to Dateline, Steven Arthur Rios served at the Columbia Police Department for a long time and was married to a woman named Libby Sullivan during the time of Jesse Valencia's murder. Rios and Sullivan even had their first child the same year the incident took place.

However, things went awry when Rios came across Valencia while raiding a party of youngsters. According to reports, Jesse Valencia was initially arrested by Steven but the questioning eventually led to something personal and that is how their s*xual relationship ignited (Jesse Valencia was open about being gay among his friends).

Except for Jesse's mother, Linda, only a few of his close friends were aware of the whole development. But things went downhill again when Jesse came to know about Steven's family and how he already had a stable life.

As per Dateline, Jesse was upset with the whole situation and wanted to discontinue his affair with Steven. Statements from Jesse's friends and close ones further revealed that he was having thoughts about revealing the extra-marital relationship to the public which supposedly gave Steven the motive to murder.

According to reports, the news of Steven's affair eventually found its way to his family members and resulted in chaos. As seen on Dateline, Steven left home, saying that he was heading towards Virginia but he was around the town itself attempting suicide.

Thanks to the police officers and negotiators prompt response that Steven was successfully restrained and taken into custody. Moreover, a match from the crime scene further confirmed Steven's involvement in Jesse Valencia's murder (the victim's fingernails had traces of Steven Rios' DNA). The statement of the prosecutor validated the same as it said:

"His DNA was on the sheets. His DNA is on three places. It's on the hairs on the victim's chest, it's under the victim's finger nails, it's on the victim's sheets. That's killer's DNA in three different places. That's not a defense. It's more evidence of his guilt."

Following all procedures, in 2005 Steven was convicted of first-degree murder but a retrial was scheduled in 2008 following an appellate court's order. The second trial placed a charge of second-degree murder on Steven Rios, as well as a sentence of life imprisonment added with 23 years.

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