Diane Zamora

Case record: Diane Zamora

People

• Diane Michelle Zamora — defendant; former United States Naval Academy midshipman

Background

Diane Zamora and David Graham met for the first time in Fort Worth, Texas, while both were enrolled in weekly search and rescue training classes in the Civil Air Patrol, an Air Force auxiliary organization. Zamora and Graham began dating in August 1995. In September 1995, they announced their engagement to their families and intended to marry in the year 2000, soon after their planned graduations from their respective military academies.

At the time of her high school graduation, Zamora was scheduled to attend the Naval Academy in Annapolis. She was described as an honor roll student. She was a member of the National Honors Society and belonged to several clubs at her school, Crowley High School. She was reared by a very religious family and reportedly kept to herself while in high school, devoted herself to her studies, and was careful about whom she dated and associated with. She was described as “not unfriendly” but not considered a high school socialite.

Graham had an appointment to the Air Force Academy and ran on the Mansfield High School track team. At the time of his arrest, he had just started service at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Zamora and Graham’s relationship was described by friends and family as intense. Friends and family thought their relationship reflected an unhealthy obsession; supporters of Zamora claimed that Graham dominated the relationship, including allegedly refusing to let her family members hug her during her high school graduation. Other friends and relatives of Graham claimed that Zamora was overly possessive and had an obsession, and that she allegedly made Graham quit a couple of jobs because they interfered with the relationship. Allegedly, Zamora told friends that her bond with Graham was “pure” and “not an ordinary love.”

The offence

On December 4, 1995, Graham and Zamora killed Adrianne Jones. Jones was described as a sophomore member of David Graham’s high school track team and as a 16-year-old. Her body was found by a farmer.

According to prosecutors, Zamora was enraged after learning that Graham had a one-time affair with Jones. Prosecutors said the couple killed Jones to cleanse their relationship after Graham and the girl had the sexual encounter.

The alleged underlying sexual encounter involving Graham and Jones is described as disputed within the case narrative: prosecutors believed Graham made up the tryst to enrage Zamora, and the defense believed a jealous Zamora had created the affair in her own mind. Under Texas law as described, capital murder included murder with an underlying felony of kidnapping, robbery, aggravated sexual assault, arson, or obstruction; murder was described as the intentional killing of another human being.

Planning and attack as described

On December 3, 1995, the narrative describes a plan in which Graham called and arranged a date with Jones for the night of the attack. Jones was said to have sneaked out of her house later that night to go out with Graham, who picked her up outside. Prosecutors said Jones was deceptively lured from her home by Graham asking her for a bogus date.

The narrative describes that Graham drove to a deserted road near Grand Prairie, Texas. Zamora was hiding in the hatchback of the car. The original plan described was that Zamora would come up behind a seated Jones and snap her neck, while Graham would help dump the body in a nearby lake and the couple would tie weights to help the body sink.

According to the narrative, things did not go as planned. When Zamora grabbed Jones, a struggle ensued. Graham tried to snap her neck but it was described as ineffective. Zamora then hit Jones in the head with a weight (described elsewhere as a dumbbell). Jones ran away and collapsed into a field. Graham shot Jones twice in the head.

The narrative also includes allegations about disposal and movement after the killing. After the shooting, the narrative describes that the couple disposed of their bloody clothes and went home.

Investigation and arrest

The narrative describes that the murder was unsolved for nearly nine months. Police questioned Graham in the days following the killing but did not give him a lie detector test at that time, and he was ruled out as a possible suspect then. Later, authorities were tipped by Zamora’s friends, who said she confessed while she was a freshman at the U.S. Naval Academy.

In late August 1996, during a late-night conversation, Zamora told her two roommates at Annapolis about the murder of Jones. Zamora said she and Graham loved each other so much that they proved it by killing for one another. The Naval honor code required midshipmen to report wrongdoing by fellow officers. Zamora’s roommates reported the story to the Naval chaplain, who reported it to the Naval attorney at Annapolis. Police in Dallas-Fort Worth were then contacted.

Zamora and Graham initially denied killing Jones when questioned by police. Both were arrested in September 1996 after Graham failed a polygraph test and confessed about his role, and after Zamora eventually confessed.

The timeline also includes the following specific events as described:

• September 4, 1996: Graham was arrested in Colorado for the murder of Adrianne Jones. After failing a polygraph lie detector test, he confessed to authorities; he typed most of the confession.
• Two days later in Texas: Zamora was arrested and eventually confessed.
• September 18, 1996: Prosecutors upgraded the charges against Graham and Zamora from murder to capital murder.
• November 11, 1996: Prosecutors indicted Zamora and Graham. At the request of the victim’s family, prosecutors announced they were not seeking the death penalty against the couple.

During the investigation, the narrative says police later recovered the murder weapon and several dumbbells from Graham’s Mansfield home. It also describes that police found Jones’ blood inside the car and splattered on the passenger door.

Trial

Trial court and judge

A two-week trial for Diane Zamora began in February 1998 in Fort Worth with Judge Joe Drago III presiding. The case received national media attention and included film coverage by Court TV.

Jury verdict and deliberations

On February 17, 1998, after over six hours of deliberations over two days, a Texas jury found Diane Zamora guilty of capital murder in the death of Adrianne Jones. Because of the Jones family’s request that prosecutors not seek the death penalty against her, Zamora received a mandatory sentence of life in prison. She was not eligible for parole for 40 years.

The narrative described that Zamora showed no emotion as the verdict was read. It also states she automatically received the life sentence because prosecutors were not seeking the death penalty.

Defence and prosecution positions as described

During trial, prosecutors and the defense presented competing accounts. The narrative says Zamora testified tearfully that she confessed to police under duress, and she said she merely read, memorized and repeated the same statement given by her then-fiance David Graham.

The narrative describes defence attorney John Linebarger as arguing that the prosecution never proved its case, and it identifies defence contentions including:

• the judge’s not letting the jury consider a murder charge,
• the admission of David Graham’s statement as evidence.

The narrative also described juror discussion of Texas’ law of parties, stating that accomplices must be charged with the same crime as if they committed it. One juror said the panel discussion involved whether she was an accessory and whether she committed a violent act or a head injury. The juror also said some felt she did not deserve to do life in prison, but they followed the judge’s orders and the law.

Evidence described from witness testimony and closing arguments

The narrative describes prosecutors offering witnesses who said Zamora confessed to the killing and showed no remorse. It identifies:

• Jennifer McKearney, a Naval Academy roommate, who told jurors that Zamora said Miss Jones was a “tramp.”
• Jay Guild, a college friend, who said Zamora told him she’d kill Miss Jones again if she could.

The narrative includes an asserted quote attributed to Assistant prosecutor Michele Hartmann during closing arguments: “As she has once said about Adrianne, ‘She deserved it. She deserved what she got,’” Parrish said.

The narrative also includes a quote attributed to Assistant prosecutor Michele Hartmann during closing arguments: “By her words, she is the victim of the justice system, a lying best friend, lying roommate, an abusive boyfriend and even of the U.S. Naval Academy,” Ms. Hartmann said during closing arguments.

The narrative includes quoted remarks attributed to Lead prosecutor Mike Parrish: “As she once said about Adrianne, 'She deserved it.

The narrative includes quoted remarks attributed to Sgt. Alan Patton from the Grand Prairie Police Department: “For those who don't remember, this was a totally brutal, unnecessary murder. David had lied to Diane about an alleged sexual tryst that never happened with Adrianne Jones. If he had said, 'I was just kidding, I was just trying to make you jealous', Adrianne Jones would still be alive today.”—Sgt. Alan Patton, Grand Prairie Police Department”

Sentencing

After the February 17, 1998 capital murder conviction, Zamora received a mandatory life sentence.

Incarceration details as described

The narrative says Zamora was incarcerated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice at the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas (ID# 0814993).

Other legal proceedings involving related defendant

The narrative states that a separate trial resulted in David Graham being found guilty of capital murder and receiving a life sentence:

• On July 24, 1998, after a separate trial, a Texas jury found David Graham guilty of capital murder. He also received a life sentence.

It also describes that outside the presence of the jury, and despite an immunity promise, Zamora invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself and refused to testify at Graham’s trial.

Marriage, later interviews, and post-conviction matters

Proxy marriage and divorce

The narrative states that on June 17, 2003, Zamora married Steven Mora, another inmate in a Texas prison. The narrative says a judge in San Antonio performed the ceremony with Zamora’s mother and a male friend standing in for the imprisoned couple in the county’s first proxy marriage. It also states that earlier that year Zamora and Steven Mora wrote to the county clerk’s office requesting a marriage license, and KDFW-TV obtained a copy of the marriage certificate issued by Bexar County, naming Zamora and Mora of San Antonio. It states they were divorced as of 2010.

Dateline interview and polygraph

The narrative states that on April 8, 2007, Zamora was interviewed by Stone Phillips on Dateline. It says her appeals were exhausted and, with her lawyer’s permission, she took a polygraph test administered by Dateline.

Her account during the interview was described as shifting to say that Graham and she were breaking up and that Graham used the murder to “tie her to him.” The narrative says she noted she obstructed justice by cleaning the car afterwards and was an accessory after the fact, while also pointing out that the jury convicted her of intending to kill Jones, which she denied.

The narrative describes that the administrator repeatedly told her to stop exaggerated breathing and that she was offered interpretation of results as potentially failing the crucial question on intention. It further states that two other independent polygraph administrators who were not at the test were contacted and could offer no opinion due to counter-measures. It also describes Zamora as responding that she was nervous and hyperventilating despite being told the questions in advance and reviewing them with the administrator.

Confessions (verbatim statements)

Diane Zamora — voluntary statement (verbatim)

Grand Prairie Police Department Voluntary Statement Date: September 6, 1996. Time statement began 8:43 a.m. Place: 801 Conover Drive in Grand Prairie, Texas.

“I, Diane Michelle Zamora am 18 years of age and I live at 3804 Royal Crest in Ft. Worth, Texas. I am making this statement to Grand Prairie Police Det. Alan T. PATTON who, before he began questioning me -- while I was under arrest -- and before I began making this statement, warned me: (1) That I have the right to remain silent and not make any statement at all and (2) that any statement I make may be used against me at my trial (or trials) for the offense (or offenses) concerning which this statement is made. (3) That any statement I make may be used as evidence against me in court. (4) That I have the right to employ a lawyer to be present either before, or during, questioning. (5) That if I am unable to employ a lawyer I have the right to have a lawyer appointed, without cost to me, to counsel with me and to advise me before of during any questioning. (6) That I have the right to stop answering questions at any time and may stop this interview, or the making of this statement, at any time whether I have answered some questions or have made some statements or not. I do not want to talk to a lawyer before, or during, the answering of any questions or the making of this statement. I do hereby knowingly, and voluntarily, waive and give up my above explained rights and I do make the following voluntary statement of my own free will and without promises, or offers of leniency, or favors, and through no fear, coercion of threats of physical harm by any person (or persons) who-so-ever. I remember that night, I think November 4, 1995 and David showed up at my door step. He had just come back from Lubbock and he had this look in his eyes that was horrible, he looked so scared. He had this red, stuffed animal dog in his hands. I could tell something was wrong, but I figured he was just tired. So he wanted to stay and spend the night. A month later I was coming into my house with him and I was questioning him about past relationships, because he always told me that I was his first real girlfriend. I thought that was kind of strange because most people have some kind of relationship of one kind or another. I will never forget him mentioning the name Adrianne, because that name kind of stuck in my head. I guess I was asking a lot of questions, for some reason I felt like I needed to ask about Adrianne. He held back alot and we just went inside my house. We just decided to walk inside of the house because we had been sitting inside of the car. When we got inside we got into a big fight because, as always, he was trying to make me study for the SAT and I didn't want to. We fought for awhile and at the end, when we stopped fighting and had calmed down, he just looked at me and said "I have something to tell, that is really important." I kind of knew what he was going to tell me, just by the way he looked at me. He told me "you haven't been the only girl in my life." He said "I have had sex with someone else before." I just looked at him in shock and I asked did he mean he wasn't a virgin when he met me and he said he was. I think that made me feel even worse cause that mentioned that he lost his virginity to me, but that he had been with someone else since. All I could do was question him and scream and blame myself for everything. I remember reaching out for this big brass thing, this brass rod, and aiming for him and trying to hit him because I was so upset. He took it away from and tried to calm me down because I was screaming so hysterically. He was trying to protect himself from getting hurt, but he was also trying to protect from hurting myself because I kept ramming my head against the walls and when I was on the ground I kept ramming my head into the floor trying to crack my skull, I just didn't want to live with what he had said to me. I felt like I had lost everything, my hand wasn't working the way it should and my family wasn't in the best financial state and now he was telling me the one thing I prized more than anything else was taken away. I don't think I was thinking, in fact I know I wasn't thinking, I screamed at him "kill her, kill her." He was just so scared that he wasn't about to say no to me, I was still banging my head against the floor. All David wanted to do was make everything better. It seemed like him agreeing to do that was the only thing that calmed me down. David promised that he would do that and David never has broken a promise to me before. On December 2, 1995 we spent basically the weekend trying to get a hold of Adrianne, nothing was really premeditated, because I think we were both acting in passion. I think we expected to get caught really fast because we didn't spend much time thinking about what we were doing. The only time David planned anything was when he sat me down at this house, for about five minutes, to calm me down and throw stuff in his bag. The plan was for David to break her neck and sink he body to the bottom of Joe Pool lake. About 12:30 a.m. on December 4, 1995 we were at his house, David had said he would meet Adrianne at about 12:30 a.m. so we were late. We were driving my green Mazda Protege. It seemed like David put together what he was going to do, really quick, because he really didn't have much time to think. The day prior, he had spent more time calming me down than thinking about what he was going to do. I would wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares. I couldn't even look at his face because I thought he was a different person. I had horrible pictures running through my head about what happened between him and Adrianne and they made me feel really sick. We met her at about 1:35 a.m. on December 4, 1995 at her house. David had called her at around 10:30 p.m. on December 3, 1995 and it was prearranged for her to come out. She thought she was coming out so they could have sex again. She came out to the car and got in. I was in the trunk and David was driving. I remember being real scared because, at a time like that when you kind of know what's happening you really don't trust anyone. I remember wanting to turn back, I was afraid to move so I just laid still in the trunk. David later told me that he felt the same way, that he wanted to turn back and take her home, but he was afraid of what I would do or say if he turned back. David usually always had a gun of some sort with him all the time. I knew that he had the Makarov 9 mm with him. I also knew that he had the weights. I don't think we knew what we were really going to do, it was more like we were going to get out there and just do it. David never specified an exact location of where he was going, because I don't think he even knew where he was going. We picked up Adrianne at her house and we drove for about 15 or 20 minutes. There's a hatch in the back seat and you can let it down and it leads in to the back seat from the trunk. David pulled over to the side of the road and Adrianne had already leaned her seat back and he started, I guess, pretending that he was going to kiss her and he motioned for me to pull the hatch down. I remember getting out and seeing that and it made me all the more angry. I knew he didn't mean it, but it just made a bunch of pictures run my head again. When she saw me, she kind of freaked out, and David held her down and said "it's O.K., we just want to talk to you." I think at that point I could kind of tell he didn't want to do anything. I asked Adrianne about she and David having sex and she said that she didn't enjoy it, that there was to much guilt. I guess it was the way she looked at me when she said it that made me so angry. Even now I can only remember her eyes, but not her face. I remember screaming at David all over again, all of it just became so real. I think I got kind of hysterical and I screamed "just do it, just do it." David just started wrestling with her basically and she was trying to get away from him. I remember being scared that she was going to hurt him and so I reached back, where I knew the weights were on the ground, to try to hit her with it. I missed, I was just so nervous, my hands were just shaking to much. Probably the third time I did hit her on the head with the weight. Things kind of calmed down real quick and I was still really scared. I think the whole time the only thing going through my mind was what I was doing, but I knew that things had gone to far and I couldn't stop. Somehow stopping seemed scarier that going on. David turned his back, I don't really remember why, and she slipped out of the window and ran off. We started to follow her with the car, but he didn't go far because she collapsed into a field on the side of the road. David jumped out of the car with his gun because he didn't want to leave someone there that could say something against us. He started running after her, but she collapsed before he got to her. He ran back to the car and he said "she's dead." I was just to scared and I said "are you sure, no she's not." I told him to shoot her, she's not dead. He was really panicky and he wanted to take off, but he went back to where she was, cause I told him to. He shot her twice in the head. He ran back and jumped into the car and drove off as quick as he could. I remember the first words out of his mouth were "I love you, baby, do you believe me now." I said "yes, I believe you, I love you to." I said "what have we done?" His reply was "I don't know, I can't believe we just did that." We drove off. The whole time I was pretty panicky. We both know what we had done was wrong and we both regretted it. I don't think anything could compare to that fear an that horrible nauseous feeling that I had all week. We went to John Green's house. I took David clothes and cleaned up his clothes for him. I think we were afraid to look at each other and in some ways I think we were really afraid of each other. When I finished cleaning up his clothes we walked from the bathroom to John Green's bedroom and just stood there looking at each other for awhile. Until I broke down crying because I was so scared and we held each other and prayed that God would forgive us for what we had done. He drove me to my house on Gatlinburg and we pulled the car into the garage, there was blood in the car. David was to sick to clean up anything, he was really pale and sick to his stomach. He wouldn't even step back into that car for months because it was to horrible of a memory. So I cleaned it up while he was in my bedroom asleep. I told him just to go to sleep because he had gone into the bathroom to vomit. He said he was pretty sick to his stomach. I really don't remember what he did with the gun right away, but months later he hid it in the attic at his dads house. He left the weights in my car. I remember later I told him to come sleep by the fire and so we both went out there and slept by the fire, the whole time thinking the police were going to come to the door and arrest us. His father called that morning to make sure he was up, so he could go to school. Up to that point I don't think either of us really thought she was dead. But his father asked David over the phone "did you hear about that girl from Mansfield that was killed." After he said that we basically knew that she was dead. Those next few weeks were horrible because I couldn't eat, and neither could he. He was always really jittery and pale faced. We were both afraid that each day together would be our last. I remember we went to church alot, praying that God would forgive us and somehow put us at peace. Because we were living in fear. I know God has forgiven us. I have spent alot of time thinking after that. I would pray day and night that God would send me back so I change what had happened. I would often start crying and tell David "she didn't have to die." I guess I was kind of obsessed with praying and hoping that God would answer my prayers and send me back to fix everything. In alot of ways, I wish I could have known her better. Everyone talked about how sweet she was and that's something I will never know. My only comfort was that everything that happens, happens for a reason and maybe that we didn't know what it was. But we hoped in time that we would find out, because I don't see how all that pain could have a reason. I have read the 4 pages of this statement, each page of which bears my signature, and the facts contained therein are true and correct. This statement was finished at 9:46 a.m. on the 6th day of September, 1996.”

Signature /s/ Diane Zamora

David Graham — confession (verbatim)

“It was November 4th, and I was giving a friend a ride home late one night after returning from a cross-country meet in Lubbock, Texas. Adrianne surprised me by asking me to take some turns that I knew were out of the way. After being directed onto a dark path behind an old elementary school, I parked the car. The events that followed are not pleasing for me to relate, as they go completely against the moral background I have grown to appreciate. They were sexual activities, short-lived and hardly appreciated. I did willingly concede to the girl in these actions, but I knew they were wrong. Never before had I participated in anything so meaningless and painful. Painful, that is, because I was letting down the one person I had swore to be faithful to. These actions were immediately regretted. In an attempt to make them right, I confessed to my good friend Joseph hours later. I simply asked for him to listen, then forget. If anyone tells Diane, I said, it will be me. The month that followed was one of guilt and shame. I was always being told by Diane that our relationship was perfect and pure. The love we shared would never be broken, no one would never come between us. No one, that is, except that one girl that had stolen from us our purity. I could never hold anything from Diane, nor she from me. She knew in my eyes that something was wrong the moment I decided to confess. When I did tell her, I thought the very life in her had been torn away. She was angry, she was violent, and she was broken. For at least an hour she screamed sobs that I wouldn't have thought possible. It wasn't just jealousy. For Diane, she had been betrayed, deceived, and forgotten all in that one meaningless instant in November. The purity which she held so dear had been tainted in that one unclean act. Diane had always held her virginity as one of her highest virtues. When we agreed to be married, she finally let her guard down long enough for our teen-age hormones to kick in. When this precious relationship we had was damaged by my thoughtless actions, the only thing that could satisfy her womanly vengeance was the life of the one that had, for an instant, taken her place. Diane's parents had similar problems in their relationship. She knew her father had often cheated on her mother. Diane didn't want Adrianne to be the same woman for me that her father had in his affair. The request of Adrianne's life was, not for a second, taken lightly by me. I couldn't even believe she would ask that of me. Well, Diane's beautiful eyes have always played the strings of my heart effortlessly. I couldn't imagine life without her; not for a second did I want to lose her. I didn't have any harsh feelings for Adrianne, but no one could stand between me and Diane. I was totally in love with her and always will be. I regret it now, for never did I imagine the heartache it would cause my school, my friends, Adrianne's family, or even my community. I guess I just shut it all out of my mind that instant when I convinced myself that Diane was even worth murder. After Diane gave me the ultimatum, I thought long and hard about how to carry out the crime. I was stupid, but I was in love. The plan was to call Adrianne and convince her to come out to my car; that worked. The plan was to drive her out near Joe Pool Lake; that worked. The plan was to (and this was not easy for me to confess) break her young neck and sink her to the bottom of the lake with the weights that ended up being hit into her head; that didn't work. Diane was hidden in the back of the car. It was late, about 0030 hours (12:30 am) on the morning of December 4th, 1995. I realized too late that all those quick, painless snaps seen in the movies were just your usual Hollywood stunts. The quick and painless crime turned into something that basically scared the [expletive] out of Diane and I. We realized that it was either her or us, and Diane struck her in the back of the head with one of the weights while I held her. I could see in Diane's eyes that she was confused and scared. She was first acting out of passionate rage, but now she was fighting from instinct. Adrianne somehow crawled through the window and, to our horror, ran off. I was panicky and just grabbed the Makarov 9mm to follow. To our relief (at the time) she was too injured from the head wounds to go far. She ran into a nearby field and collapsed. I wanted to just jump in and drive off. We were both shaken and even surprised by the nature of our actions. Neither Diane nor myself were ever violent people. In that short instant, I knew I couldn't leave the key witness to our crime alive. I just pointed and shot. I was very confused and scared; I probably looked like the proverbial headless chicken running around the crime scene. I fired again and ran to the car. Diane and I drove off. The first things out of our mouths were, "I love you," followed by Diane's "We shouldn't have done that, David." Well, nice time to tell me I just wanted it to be a dream. We took the quickest route to I-20, where we decided to head to a well-trusted friend's home. John Green did exactly as I suspected: allowed us through his window (the usual entrance place to his room), allowed us to clean up and collect our wits, and even loaned me a pair of shorts. My clothing had blood stains on them, and we disposed of them in a dumpster near Diane's house. We then went back to Diane's house, where we cleaned out the car and went to sleep by the fire. The next day, we returned the weights to my house. Diane was in shock. I was just scared. Neither one of us knew why, anymore, we had just done that. The following days at school were so mentally tough, they make my summer at the Air Force Academy look like a walk in the park. Never had I even imagined so much guilt. They announced it on the intercom, my friends talked about it in the halls, everywhere I turned, someone was crying or just staring in shock for reasons I alone was the cause of. I saw Adrianne's mother in the grocery stores; I read articles of how her family was coping in the papers. One thing, in particular, has haunted me constantly for the past eight months. I read a quote from Linda Jones in which she said, "I hope that her killer is out there, and he's just being eaten up with guilt." When I read that, I just wanted it to all go away. I wanted to be able to drive Adrianne back home, to go to sleep, and to wake up back on December 3, free to make my decisions all over again. Diane wanted to go back also. For weeks, her infatuation was with just being able to go back before September 26, when she wrecked my truck and injured her hand. She wanted to change that, and she wanted to keep me from going to Lubbock. Diane was constantly depressed from the guilt. She was also scared that I would be arrested. She used to worry herself sick in school over me and have to call me as soon as school was out to make sure I was OK. It didn't really matter, however, what any police or detectives found. What happened was over. Adrianne was gone, I was responsible, and it wasn't going away. ”

Signature /s/ David C. Graham

September 6, 1996

Timeline

• 1991 — Diane Zamora and David Graham met for the first time at Fort Worth, Texas while enrolled in weekly search and rescue training classes in the Civil Air Patrol.
• August 1995 — Zamora and Graham started dating.
• September 1995 — Zamora and Graham announced their engagement to their families and intended to marry in the year 2000 after their planned graduations.
• November 4, 1995 — David Graham was described as having sex with track teammate Adrianne Jones after a track meet in Lubbock; he later confessed the affair to Zamora around Dec. 1.
• December 3, 1995 — Graham and Zamora murder Jones is described as beginning; Graham called and arranged a date with Jones for late that night.
• December 4, 1995 — Adrianne Jones’s body was discovered by a farmer in Grand Prairie the next day; the plan is described as involving Graham driving near Grand Prairie, Texas, with Zamora hiding in the car’s hatchback, and Jones being struck and shot.
• Late August 1996 — Zamora told two roommates at Annapolis about the murder of Jones.
• August 29-30, 1996 — Naval officials notified the Grand Prairie Police Department and detectives questioned Zamora and Graham; Navy officials suspended Zamora and sent her home; Zamora switched flights and visited Graham before detectives could question him.
• September 4, 1996 — Graham was arrested in Colorado for the murder of Adrianne Jones and after failing a polygraph test confessed.
• September 6, 1996 — Zamora gave a voluntary statement to Grand Prairie Police Det. Alan T. Patton.
• September 6, 1996 — David Graham signed his confession.
• September 18, 1996 — Prosecutors upgraded the charges against Graham and Zamora from murder to capital murder.
• November 11, 1996 — Prosecutors indicted Zamora and Graham and announced the death penalty would not be sought at the request of the victim’s family.
• February 2, 1998 — Testimony began in Zamora’s trial.
• February 10-11, 1998 — Zamora testified at her trial and blamed Graham for Jones’s murder.
• February 17, 1998 — Zamora was convicted of the capital murder of Adrianne Jones and received a mandatory life sentence; parole eligibility after 40 years is described.
• April 24, 1998 — Judge Don Leonard ruled that Graham’s confession would be admissible at Graham’s trial.
• July 6, 1998 — Jury selection in Graham’s trial began.
• July 10, 1998 — Judge Leonard ruled that Zamora’s confession would be admissible at Graham’s trial.
• July 15, 1998 — Testimony began in Graham’s trial.
• July 22, 1998 — Zamora invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself and refused to testify at Graham’s trial.
• July 24, 1998 — A Texas jury found David Graham guilty of capital murder; he was sentenced to life in prison.
• June 17, 2003 — Zamora married Steven Mora in a proxy marriage.
• April 8, 2007 — Zamora was interviewed by Stone Phillips on Dateline and took a polygraph test.

Other details

• The narrative describes a 1997 made-for-television movie titled “Swearing Allegiance (Love’s Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder)”. It describes that the character of Diane Zamora was played by Holly Marie Combs.
• The narrative describes NBC’s KXAS-TV refusing to broadcast the movie when it aired in February 1997 in Dallas-Fort Worth.
• The narrative describes that in related proceedings, a judge ruled that Graham and Zamora would receive separate trials.
• The narrative states that the parole eligibility date for both Zamora and Graham was September 5, 2036.