Fernando Cota

Fernando Velazco Cota (June 20, 1946 – October 14, 1984) was an American murderer, rapist and kidnapper who was the prime suspect in the murders of six women in San Jose, California, from August to October 1984. He died by suicide on October 14, 1984, after he was arrested for a botched kidnapping that resulted in the death of one victim.

Biography Little is known of Cota's background. He was born on June 20, 1946, and in the mid-1960s, he was drafted into the Army. After completing his training, he was sent to fight in the Vietnam War, where he saw active combat and was promoted to sergeant. After demobilization, Cota returned to the US, where he soon married a woman with whom he had several children. In the early 1970s, he began to exhibit an increased sex drive and began to sexually harass girls and women. While he lived in El Paso, Texas, with his family, Cota attacked a nurse in 1975, binding, bathing and then raping her. A few days later, he sent the victim a note that said: "Sorry for the argument we had. Still loving you." During his imprisonment, Cota went through several rehabilitation programs and earned a reputation as an exemplary inmate, thanks to which he was paroled on September 29, 1983. Shortly after, he left Texas and moved to La Paz, Mexico, where he met someone who informed him that there were many job opportunities in Silicon Valley.

On the evening of October 14, 1984, Cota's white Chevrolet van was spotted by traffic police about fifteen miles north of San Jose, looping erratically on Highway 101 near San Carlos.

Investigation Following Cota's death, the police received a search warrant for his rented apartment. In there, investigators found a small closet, 60 by 100 cms wide, where Cota had attached metal braces to the walls through which ropes and manacles were pulled.

The list of potential victims included the following: Tania Zack (21) – employee at the County Bank and Trust who went missing on August 27, when her car ran out of gas while travelling to work on Highway 17. Zack's body was later found in a ravine in the Santa Cruz Mountains, near Los Gatos, on September 15, her cause of death determined as a head injury. The real killer, Damon Joe Wells, was arrested in 1989, pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1990. Kelly Ralston (21) – university student with a brown belt in karate. She was found stabbed to death in her rented apartment the day after Zack had disappeared.

Despite their best efforts, the investigators were unable to conclusively link Cota to these murders. However, aside from the Zack murder, he has never been eliminated as a suspect in any of them.

The bill was signed into law in December 2025, with the Department of Veterans Affairs scheduled to disinter his remains in 2026. On April 27, 2026, his remains were removed from the cemetery.