The Murder of Alma Del Real
For this case I watched an episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn. It’s season 17 episode 8, titled ‘Shifting Stories.’
A 22 year old is killed, and the police sort through many stories before learning what really happened.
Background
Alma
Alma Del Real moved from Mexico to the U.S., when she was just 10 years old. Alma was raised by her grandparents, and she was very close to her other extended family. She got her first full time job at age 15, so that she could help her family make ends meet.
Alma was described as ambitious, hardworking and outgoing. She wanted to either be an actress or a makeup artist, and these were just a few of her many passions. Alma also loved to be on social media, and when her social media went quiet, her loved ones knew something was wrong.
The Disappearance
On April 14, 2015, Alma’s aunt Susana Lagunas reported her missing to the South Bend police department. Alma hadn’t been seen since the early morning hours of Sunday, April 12.
Alma had gone out with friends on Saturday, and they went to two clubs called Brothers Bar and Studio Rumba. Alma had stayed out really late, and was taken home by her friend Alberto Cruz. Alberto said he dropped Alma off at 3:15am, and then drove home to go to sleep.
Around 9:30am on Sunday, Alma’s friend Crystal drove over to her house. They were supposed to go to Chicago for a cosmetology class, and when she arrived, Alma didn’t answer. It was very strange because Alma had been looking forward to this class all week.
It wasn’t until the next day that Susana reported Alma missing, after Alma didn’t arrive at her job at Wells Fargo. Alma loved her job and was very reliable.
The police took this case very seriously, and wanted to search Alma’s home and re-trace her steps.
Investigation
Det. Jennifer Gobel with the South Bend PD, was one of the detectives on Alma’s case. She arrived at Alma’s house, and realized that Alma’s front door was locked and there appeared to be no signs of foul play. However, when she searched Alma’s room, she noticed a few strange things. Alma’s phone and purse were missing, but her credit cards and ID was still in her room.
The police obtained a warrant for Alma’s financial records. Her credit cards hadn’t been used since two days before she disappeared. The police wanted to speak to the last person who saw Alma: Alberto Cruz.
Alberto was brought in for questioning. Alberto said he dropped Alma off around 3am, and he said he asked her if she wanted him to walk her to her door. She said no, and he confessed that he actually never saw her walk inside her home. He said he was exhausted and left to go home and sleep. Alberto’s alibi seemed to check out, and he was released.
The case stalled for several days, and Alma’s family was doing anything they could to bring attention to her case. They held searches, marches, and raised reward money. They also had a Facebook page and gave as many updates as they could.
Alma’s missing poster
A Kidnapping or Murder?
A few days into the investigation, a witness reported that Alma may have been kidnapped. The FBI was brought in because the tip said that Alma may have been trafficked, and was possibly in Ohio.
The witness said he was at K-Mart, and overheard a group of five men talking about kidnapping Alma. The witness said he heard them talking about how they sold her into a sex ring. The witness knew of the men, and they were able to find the other four men through Facebook.
The police obtained the cell phone records of each men, and determined that they had never left the area. The cell phone records proved that these men didn’t have anything to do with Alma’s disappearance and were never in Ohio.
There was a second lead that also suggested Alma was kidnapped and taken to Chicago. This tip said Alma was being held at a hotel that was known for sex work. The police went to Chicago, and actually spoke to the police in Chicago. There had been a disturbance call from that very room where the tip said Alma was being held. The Chicago police said the girl was not Alma, she was a local that they had dealt with before. This girl was a frequent runaway, but did look very similar to Alma.
All leads led the police back to one person: Alberto Cruz.
The Prime Suspect
In the days following Alma’s disappearance, Alberto was always at the events held for Alma. He supported her family, and was very cooperative with the police.
He was brought in for questioning again, and some of his interrogation was played on this episode. They asked Alberto what really happened when he dropped her off. Alberto’s story never changed, until one time he changed a small detail.
The very first time Alberto was questioned, he said that a few minutes after he dropped Alma off, she Facetimed him. The first time he said he ignored her because she wanted to go get food, and he wanted to go home and sleep. This time he said he didn’t hear the Facetime call over his loud radio. Detective Gobel said she knew Alberto killed Alma after she heard this discrepancy.
The police wanted to look at Alberto’s cell phone again, and when they asked him for it, he was very hesitant. He eventually gave it up, and what the police found was shocking. The GPS on his phone showed that Alberto stayed at Alma’s house that night for over two hours. He left around 5:30am, and then drove 40 miles to a countryside road for an hour.
Alberto was confronted about this, and he said he wasn’t lying. Det. Gobel said she would clear him if he passed a polygraph. Alberto agreed, and he of course failed it.
Alberto’s Stories
Alberto created a new story. This time he said that Alma and her family owed money to a Mexican cartel. He said that when he dropped Alma off, they were confronted by members of the cartel. He said they forced him out of his truck, and kidnapped Alma. He said he walked home, went to sleep and when he woke up the next day, his keys, truck and phone were all there.
Special Agent Tom Weber with the FBI knew his story was bullshit. He asked Alberto if he knew where Alma’s body was, and if so, they could go for a drive. There were other detectives following them, but far away so Alberto couldn’t see them.
They drove 40 miles to the countryside, until Alberto told him to stop. He said Alma was in the woods.
Alma’s badly decomposed remains were found. She was found face down in a marshy, murky area. It’s believed that her cause of death was strangulation and this is what Alberto admitted to. Alberto was in the car crying, and the police believed it was because he actually had remorse, and also knew that he’d be going away for a long time.
Alberto Cruz was arrested and charged with murder.
Alberto Cruz
Trial and Conviction
At Alberto’s trial, he pleaded not guilty. His defense said he panicked after Alma hit her head and died, after they had consensual sex.
The prosecutor, Chris Fronk, said Alma didn’t have any trauma or injuries to her head. He said that Alberto killed Alma to keep her quiet, after he sexually assaulted her. He said Alberto was obsessed with Alma, but that she never saw him as more than a friend. Alberto killed her and then drove her to the wooded area, in hopes that no one would find her.
The jury deliberated for less than 90 minutes, and found Alberto guilty of murder. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Alma’s family said that they never suspected him. They said he was always at all the events for her, and that he would say things like “we’ll find her, I promise.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
WOMEN SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY NO AND NOT BE AFRAID THAT THEY’LL BE MURDERED!!! There are too many cases that I’ve researched that are very similar to this. Maybe he created a story in his head that she liked him, when she just wanted to be friends. He violated her and killed her when she did nothing wrong. He is a piece of shit, and deserves to be in prison a lot longer than 60 years.
I also want to applaud the police in this case. There are so many cases where someone is reported missing, and they don’t do anything about it. The police knew in their guts that Alberto did this to her, and they were able to get justice for her and her loved ones.
Sources
https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Sentencing-Friday-in-Del-Real-murder-383387841.html
https://wsbt.com/news/local/cruz-returns-to-court-in-alma-del-real-murder-trial
