The Texas Rangers have arrested a San Antonio man for a 20-year-old murder case.
Texas Rangers busted Saul Gonzalez, 66, in South Texas for capital murder, according to a press release. This comes decades after Valerie Laguna and her unborn baby were found dead at a cemetery in 2005.
A grand jury indicted Gonzalez for capital murder on August 29. He is currently in the La Salle County Jail.
ICYMI: A breakthrough in a 20-year-old cold case in Cotulla. Texas Rangers & La Salle Co. SO secured an indictment for Saul Gonzalez, 66, in the 2005 capital murder of Valerie Laguna, who was 8 months pregnant. DNA testing via DOJ’s SAKI program led to the arrest. https://t.co/zgp6wdIBMF
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) September 4, 2025
The Murder
Laguna was found sexually assaulted, beaten, and strangled at the Cristo Rey Cemetery in the South Texas town of Cotulla on July 19, 2005, according to the press release. She was eight months pregnant at the time, and her unborn baby also died.
The La Salle County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers, and Williamson County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. The Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory and the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification also assisted.
Investigators interviewed numerous witnesses and collected DNA samples from multiple individuals. They identified Gonzalez as a possible suspect, but could not find any major breaks in the case.
The Turning Point
The La Salle sheriff’s office submitted multiple pieces of evidence to BODE Technology, a DNA analysis firm. They obtained DNA profiles from evidence.
Texas Rangers identified Laguna’s case as eligible for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) in 2021. This program is funded by the Department of Justice to “further unsolved sexual assaults and sexually related homicides with the hope of bringing justice to victims and their families.”
Then, BODE Technology further analyzed evidence in 2023 – eventually, finding Gonzalez’s DNA.
Texas Rangers and La Salle deputies executed an arrest warrant for Gonzalez on August 29 and found him at the Eagle Ford Crossing housing complex in Cotulla, Texas.