Ellis County Prosecutor and District Attorney Ann Montgomery announced today that long-time fugitive Jennifer Samantha Puente, 30, of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, has pleaded guilty to murder and tampering/falsifying evidence with intent to damage a human corpse for offenses that occurred in 2012. She was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder charge and 15 years for the tampering charge.
On March 17, 2012, a witness found the burning body of Moriah Gonzales (15) on the side of the road in Ennis, Texas. After an investigation, Ennis police obtained an arrest warrant for Puente for the murder of Gonzales. An Ellis County grand jury indicted both Puente and Joe Alvarado on charges of murder and tampering with Gonzales’ body. However, Puente fled Ellis County and could not be found. In 2014, Alvarado was convicted of murder and tampering with/falsifying evidence with intent to damage a human corpse for his role in Gonzales’ death. He is currently serving a 34-year sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
In 2016, Ellis County prosecutors and the Texas Rangers, believing Puente was in Mexico, began working with U.S. Department of Justice officials to seek arrest warrants and extradition from Mexico. In October 2022, Mexican authorities found and arrested Puente in Mexico. Months later, Puente waived extradition to the United States. On February 10, 2023, a team consisting of members of the Texas Rangers, Ennis Police Department, and the Ellis County District Attorney’s Office returned Puente to Ellis County and booked her into the Ellis County Jail.
Murder is a first-degree felony punishable by five to ninety-nine years or life imprisonment, and tampering/falsifying evidence with intent to damage a human corpse is a second-degree felony punishable by two to twenty years imprisonment or probation. On July 2, 2024, Puente pleaded guilty to both counts and was sentenced by Judge Cindy Ermatinger of the 443rd District Court to 40 years imprisonment for murder and 15 years imprisonment for tampering. The sentences will be served concurrently.
“Many former and current prosecutors, investigators, Ennis police officers, Department of Justice officials and Texas Department of Public Safety officers worked tirelessly to find Puente and bring him back to Ellis County,” Montgomery said. “I am proud that this case is closed and we were able to bring justice for Moriah and her family.”
Chief of Criminal Investigation James Zaleta and Assistant District and County Attorney Sherry Roeder handled the case for the District and County Attorney’s Offices, assisted by Investigators Todd Woodruff and Dennis Morris. The police investigation was led by Detective Sergeant Paul Asby of the Ennis Police Department and Captain Jason Bobo of the Texas Rangers.
