Wilson Chouest

Wilson Claude Chouest Jr. Chouest, who is currently serving a life sentence, was charged with three counts of murder, including that of Rocha Parga's unborn son. He was identified as a suspect in the case in 2012, after his DNA was matched to fingernail scrapings collected from both victims.

Chouest committed crimes in Tulare, Los Angeles, Ventura, and Kern counties. He is currently serving life in prison for his murders committed in the latter two areas.

Victims

Chouest's victims were found in neighboring counties in California: Kern and Ventura, in July 1980. One month before the murders, he had been released from prison after serving a kidnapping and robbery sentence for a 1978 conviction. Chouest's DNA was recovered from the woman's fingernails and clothing, and he was also linked to the victim via a bottle of Michelob beer found near her body. All of her upper teeth were missing. The victim was believed to have been twenty five to thirty five years old and at an estimated height and weight of five feet four inches and 115 pounds. It is also believed that she had given birth at least once. She wore a pink top, jeans, white shoes, and blue socks.

In 2018, the DNA Doe Project took on her case. With the help of those samples, the victim was identified as Shirley Ann Soosay of the Samson Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada in April 2021. Soosay is believed to be one of the first Indigenous unidentified decedents identified through forensic genealogy.

Shirley Soosay had fallen out of contact with her family in 1979. Following her identification, Soosay's remains were returned to her family in Alberta. The victim had died within twelve hours of her discovery and was likely murdered at a different location. She had been dragged to where she was found, leaving a trail of blood.

She was estimated to be between five feet one and five feet three inches tall at a weight of 110 to 115 pounds. She was five months pregnant with a boy. The woman was stabbed 16 times and strangled to death after she was raped. DNA testing indicated the victim was primarily Native American with some Hispanic, Caucasian, Sub Saharan and Asian ancestry.

The victim's unborn son appeared to have been well-nourished and "adequate" prenatal care had taken place. The organization identified a third cousin of the victim through a genealogy website.

In November 2021, the unborn son's father was located. He was unable to provide any new information on her identity.

On February 23, 2026, she was publicly identified as 22-year-old Maricela Rocha Parga. Maricela was born in Monterrey, Mexico. She immigrated to America along with the rest of her family. Her siblings later described Maricela as independent, loving and caring. She worked during the day as a waitress and attended nursing school at night. Maricela had a two-year-old daughter at the time of her disappearance. Her family had been searching for her ever since she had gone missing.

Rape victims

Chouest attacked a woman in Los Angeles in 1977 and he committed two additional rapes in August and September 1980.

The 1977 attack occurred on October 12 when he offered his victim a ride to Topanga Canyon. He had removed the handles on the inside of the passenger area, in preparation for her attempt to escape. Once she was inside, he exposed himself and propositioned her for sex, threatening her with a knife. The woman offered her compliance and Chouest disposed of the weapon. She was later bound and driven to a hillside, where he raped her. She was then strangled and kicked until she lost consciousness, yet she survived. Before he left the scene, he had stolen some of her clothing and her purse. He was later convicted of robbery and kidnapping; the rape charge was dropped due to a plea agreement.

The jury returned with guilty verdicts for the adult victims. They were unable to convict him of the murder of the fetus, as prosecutors referenced laws in place at the time of the killings, despite those laws being changed in 1994.

Media

In May 2022, the murders of Shirley Soosay and Ventura County Jane Doe were featured on a Cold Case Files episode. The Hulu original docuseries Web of Death profiled the case in January 2023.