In the early autumn of 1995, the nation was shocked by the tragic shooting of 16-year-old student Adrianne Jones from Mansfield, Texas. Jones fell victim to the heinous acts of two individuals, Diane Zamora and David Graham, both of whom were on a trajectory to bring pride to the country. At the time of the incident, Zamora and Graham were destined for the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy, respectively.
On the night of December 4, 1995, Adrianne left the house to meet a friend only never to return. The next morning, Adrianne's body was discovered by a farmer on his piece of land on Seeton Road beaten and shot to death. As nine months passed and the case turned cold, a tip from Zamora's classmate had the killers arrested.
The seventh episode of People Magazine Investigates Season 1 titled In the Name of Love detailed the cold-blooded murder of Adrianne Jones as it released on December 12, 2016. The official synopsis of the episode reads,
"In 1995, a 16-year-old student is found shot to death in Texas. Police don't have any suspects, until a game of Truth-or-Dare leads to a startling confession."
Who killed Adrianne Jones and why? More on Diane Zamora and David Graham
Who is Adrianne Jones?
The grisly murder that stunned the nation on December 4, 1995, involved a 16-year-old girl from Mansfield, Texas. Adrianne Jessica Jones was born in Dallas to Linda and Bill Jones on June 18, 1979. Adrianne was the eldest of three siblings and was described as outgoing and fun-loving by her friends and family.
Nicknamed AJ by her close ones, Jones was a sophomore at Mansfield High School. She wanted to be a behavioral analyst and attend Texas A&M University. Adrianne grew up in a household with rules that prohibited her from stepping out beyond 9 p.m. or talking on the phone past 10 pm.
Who killed Adrianne Jones and why?
The Adrianne Jones murder case boiled down to two people but with much difficulty - Diane Zamora and David Graham. The local police in Texas received a tip from an informant from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland which was where Diane was studying at the time.
She had confessed to murdering Adrianne with David after she was informed about David's sexual encounter with Adrianne. She allegedly presented David with a choice - to kill Adrianne or to risk losing Diane herself. Diane Zamora wanted to be an astronaut. She studied at Crowley High School and was a member of the National Honors Society.
David Graham was a student at Mansfield High School where he was a part of the school track team. This was the same school where Adrianne was enrolled in. David was also a battalion commander in the Junior ROTC program and wanted to be a pilot. He attended the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado after his graduation.
Adrianne Jones and David Graham were on the cross-country track team and the two met at the regional track meet in Lubbock after which they became acquaintances. As the team returned to Mansfield on November 4, 1995, Adrianne asked David for a lift to her home when the two made a stop behind an elementary school where they performed sexual intercourse.
Following this incident, David confessed to Diane out of guilt while an enraged Diane presented him with the choice to either get rid of Adrianne or lose her. The couple carried out their murder plan on December 3, 1995, and left Adrianne's body in an open field on Seeton Road. Her beaten-up body was discovered by a farmer the next day with two 9mm gunshot wounds to the head.