TYLER, Texas — A Tyler man accused of sexual assault in an over 10-year-old sexual assault cold case is set to have his trial in April.
Vincente Rodriquez Zavaleta, 45, was named a suspect in three separate sexual assaults that happened in 2003, 2012 and 2016 after DNA evidence linked him to the cold cases. He was arrested in March 2023 on two counts of sexual assault and an aggravated kidnapping charge.
On Wednesday, his trial was moved from March 19 to April 16 in the 475th District Court, according to judicial records. The offense date for this charge is listed as Dec. 11, 2012.
Court records show the other sexual assault charge and the kidnapping charge were dismissed in September 2023. In court filings, the state asked that those charges be dismissed in the interest of justice despite there being probable cause at the time of his arrest.
According to an arrest affidavit, a Texas Ranger, who is a part of the cold case and unsolved crimes division, was contacted in February 2022 about a serial rape investigation involving an unidentified male perpetrator in Tyler.
The affidavit described each of the incidents, and the ranger determined that an unknown male DNA profile was linked to all three attacks.
Zavaleta's DNA wasn't in the law enforcement tracking system, but his son was and he voluntarily gave a DNA sample in October 2022.
After comparing the DNA from panties at the crime scene and the son's DNA, investigators determined there was high likelihood of the male DNA source from the panties being the biological father of Zavaleta's son, the affidavit said.
Following the investigation, Zavaleta was then arrested. He remains in the Smith County Jail on a $750,000 bond.