Leesa Nascimento Her sudden disappearance and the discovery of her body shocked the people of Sugar Land, Texas. She was known for being kind and having close relationships with her friends and family. “The Killer Beside Me: Flowers in the Lake” on Investigation Discovery looks into this sad case and shows how the investigation found out who killed her: someone she trusted and knew well. This article will give you a full picture of the murder, the investigation, and Lorenza Sam’s current location. He was found guilty of killing her. If you want to know more, Spiky TV has the whole story about this terrible crime.
Who Was Leesa Nascimento?
In 1961, Leesa Nascimento was born. She had many problems as a child, like her parents getting divorced, but she grew up in a loving home. Leesa’s mother got married again, and she and her stepbrother Ernie Basham became very close. They met when Ernie was only six years old. Leesa cared a lot about her family, and she and Ernie stayed close over the years.
Leesa married her partner Karl in the early 2000s, but the marriage ended in a difficult divorce. After that, she put all of her energy into her love of flower arranging. Turning her hobby into a business, she opened her flower shop, Artful Occasions, in 2008. The shop was located in the Sugar Creek Shopping Center in Sugar Land, Texas, and quickly became well known in the community.
Leesa had a close relationship with her employees, including Lena Salazar and Lorenza Andre Sam. Everything appeared normal until July 6, 2010, when Leesa suddenly disappeared.
The Day Leesa Disappeared
On July 6, 2010, Leesa’s life took a tragic turn. Around 10 a.m., she told her co-worker Lena she wasn’t feeling well and left her shop to head home to her Sienna Plantation residence. The next day, when Leesa didn’t show up for work at her shop’s grand re-opening, Lena tried calling her but got no answer. Worried, Lena alerted Leesa’s family. Ernie hurried to her home and discovered her purse and keys inside, but Leesa and her car had vanished. He immediately called 911 to report her missing on July 7, 2010.
Police arrived and found no signs of a break-in or struggle, but they noticed Leesa’s home alarm was off, which was unusual. The search for answers intensified, and on July 9, 2010, a landscaper made a chilling discovery: a woman’s body, wrapped in a carpet, floating in a lake behind Leesa’s flower shop near Southwest Freeway and Sugar Creek Blvd. Ernie and Lena knew the body was Leesa’s because of her clothes and watch. The autopsy showed that she died from a gunshot wound to the face with a .25 calibre bullet. Her body had been in the water for at least two days.
Evidence Found at the Crime Scene and Leesa’s Home
The investigation found important proof that the crime was very violent. Police found a wet rag in the kitchen of Leesa’s house that smelt strongly of bleach. The floor under the kitchen table looked cleaner than the rest of the floor. Later tests in the lab indicated that there was blood in the rag and in the cleaned area, which suggests that the person was trying to hide or clean up evidence of the crime.
Also, broken pieces of ceramic and a bathrobe found at Leesa’s house were the same as things found where her body was found. The autopsy showed that Leesa died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
A Missing Diamond Bracelet Leads to a Breakthrough
Detectives talked to Ernie early on in the investigation. He said that Leesa’s divorce from Karl had been hard, but neither of them were suspects. Ernie also shared a crucial detail: in May 2010, Leesa had panicked when she couldn’t find her diamond bracelet. When Ernie came to help look for it, Leesa told him that she thought her employee, Lorenza Sam, might have stolen it.
Lorenza was able to get into Leesa’s house because he helped her mow her lawn and worked closely with her. Lena Salazar revealed that Leesa had dismissed Lorenza approximately six weeks prior to the murder, suspecting him of stealing.
Lena also said that Lorenza had threatened Leesa, saying that she owed him money and that he would make her pay. This made investigators distressed.
Police found the missing diamond bracelet that Lorenza had pawned in June 2010 while they were looking through pawn shops. When officers checked his apartment complex, they found Lorenza behind on rent but having recently made a suspicious $500 cash payment on July 7, the day after Leesa disappeared.
Neighbours reported that Lorenza had called someone to collect a trash bag filled with jewellery from his apartment. Upon searching the bag, the police found cleaning supplies, Leesa’s jewellery, her ID, and credit cards. These discoveries intensified the investigation.
A Cross-State Manhunt
On July 10, 2010, a tip from a hunter led police to Leesa’s abandoned car in a remote area of Bienville Parish, Louisiana. They found her blood in the backseat, along with gloves, a Fanta bottle, and a receipt from July 7, 2010. CCTV footage from a store showed that Sam bought the Fanta bottle and his DNA was found on the bottle and the gloves. It was shocking that an item that belonged to Sam’s girlfriend, Adriane Gipson, was also in the car.
When questioned, Adriane revealed she dropped Sam off at Leesa’s home on July 6, 2010, and later drove him to Bienville Parish, where he abandoned Leesa’s car. She claimed Sam confessed to her about killing Leesa. Adriane also said she picked him up and dropped him at a hotel in Lafayette, Louisiana. Cell phone records backed her story, placing Sam in Bienville Parish at the time the car was abandoned. Detectives learnt that Sam was working offshore for a company called Osha in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
Arrest and Trial of Lorenza Sam
Lorenza was arrested in July 2010 while working offshore in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Despite denying involvement during questioning, the overwhelming evidence led to his formal charge of capital murder.
Lorenza Sam’s trial began in July 2013. The prosecution showed a lot of proof, like Sam’s DNA on the Fanta bottle and gloves, CCTV footage of him buying the bottle and Leesa’s jewellery that had been pawned and linked to him. They also showed cell phone records that linked Sam to the murder timeline and the car’s being left in Louisiana.
Forty-five people, including forensic experts, detectives and Leesa’s family, gave evidence against him. Despite the substantial evidence against him, Sam claimed he was innocent because he and Leesa had a good relationship.
The prosecution didn’t seek the death penalty, so when the jury convicted Sam on July 30, 2013, he automatically received life in prison without parole. In 2016, Sam appealed, arguing the evidence was insufficient and his trial counsel was ineffective. The Appellate Court rejected his appeal on October 20, 2016, upholding his conviction.
Where is Lorenza Sam now?
Lorenza Sam is still in prison today, serving a life sentence with no chance of parole. He is currently in prison at the William P. “Bill” Clements Unit in Amarillo, Texas. However, some sources also say he could be at the TDCJ Polunsky Unit in West Livingston, Texas. His sentence means he will never be released, but the exact facility may change because he is being moved to a different prison.
The Emotional Impact on Leesa’s Loved Ones
Her family and community were heartbroken by Leesa’s murder. In the Flowers in the Lake episode, her stepbrother Ernie Basham talked about how sad he was about her death and how close they were. Lena Salazar, a co-worker of Leesa’s, talked about how nice she was and how shocked she was that someone she trusted had betrayed her. The episode, which was part of Investigation Discovery’s The Killer Beside Me series, also included Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Scott Heinemeyer and prosecutor Loretta Owen, who talked about the thorough investigation that led to Sam’s arrest.
If you’re interested in diving deeper—watch The Killer Beside Me: Flowers in the Lake (Season 2, Episode 5) on platforms like discovery+, Prime Video, The Roku Channel or Philo. The episode goes into great detail about the investigation, using interviews and reenactments to bring Leesa’s story to life.
We think that sharing these stories helps people become more aware of safety and justice in our communities at Spiky TV. Stay with us if you want to hear about more real crime cases and investigative stories.
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