Suspect in California preschool teacher’s naptime slaying arrested

A preschool teacher who worked on the campus of Stanford University. was arrested last week, along with a friend, authorities said, in connection with the murder of another teacher at the facility during nap time. Diana Ornelas, 22, a Santa Cruz resident, was arrested Wednesday along with her friend, Dennis Novoa, 27.

The pair allegedly shot and killed Oliver Waterfall, 24, in California’s Santa Cruz County on April 11. His body was found on the side of a hill next to the freeway. Authorities said in a statement that they believe the motive for the murder was “personal in nature,” as Ornelas and Novoa apparently knew Waterfall.

Ornelas taught at the Stanford Community Children’s Center, a day care center on campus. A Stanford University spokesman said Ornelas was arrested at naptime. “The arrest occurred at siesta time and outside the perimeter of the CCSC campus. There were no children present when it occurred and it did not disrupt operations,” the spokesperson told the Stanford Daily student newspaper.

The sheriff’s department said the two arrests were the result of weeks of investigation and interviews. “During the past two weeks, detectives. have been conducting interviews and reviewing surveillance footage related to the case.“, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.