ELLIS COUNTY, Texas — The Ellis County District Attorney's Office announced that 30-year-old Jennifer Samantha Puente was sentenced to 55 years in prison for the murder of Moriah Gonzales back in 2012.
According to the DA's Office, Puente received 40 years for murder and 15 years for tampering/fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, both of which she pled guilty to.
The DA's Office says on March 17, 2012, a witness found Gonzales' body burning on the side of a road in Ennis, Texas, she was 15 at the time.
According to the DA, the Ennis Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for Puente for Gonzales' murder.
Both Puente and Joe Alvarado were indicted for the murder and tampering with Gonzales' body by an Ellis County grand jury. However, Puente fled from Ellis County and could not be found.
In 2014, the DA said Alvarado was convicted of murder and tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse. He is currently serving a 34-year sentence in prison.
According to the DA, in 2016, Ellis County prosecutors and the Texas Rangers began working with United States Department of Justice officials to request arrest warrants and extradition from Mexico, where they believed Puente to be.
In Oct. 2022, the DA says Mexican authorities were able to locate and arrest Puente in Mexico, and months later, Puente waived extradition to the US.
According to the DA, on Feb. 10, 2023, Texas Rangers, Ennis PD, Ellis County and the DA's Office returned Puente to Ellis County and booked her into the Ellis County Jail.
Over a year later on July 2, 2024, Puente was sentenced for her involvement in the murder.
“Many former and current Ellis County prosecutors, investigators, Ennis police officers, Department of Justice officials, and Texas Department of Public Safety peace officers worked tirelessly to find and bring Puente back to Ellis County,” DA Ann Montgomery stated. “I am proud that this case has concluded, and we could bring justice for Moriah and her family.”
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