A couple pleaded not guilty to murder charges. Steven Valle and Samantha Jo Sebella have been charged with the murder of two of their children. Authorities found bone fragments in the backyard of Valle and Sebella’s home in Wheatfield, Indiana. The police searched their home and backyard after receiving a report that Valle confessed to killing two of his kids. Investigators say Valle reportedly told someone he knew, “I killed two of my kids.” During the search, a couple of K-9 units led the officers to the burn pit and found a pile of ashes near the garage. The bone fragments found in the burn pit are still being tested to confirm if they are human or not.
Child Burn Victims
The murder charges are for their two children from 3-5 years ago. In 2018, Valle alleges that Sebella gave birth to a baby boy. When he arrived home, he found Sebella passed out with his son in between her legs. He claims the child was not breathing, so he cleaned him and wrapped him up. He placed his son in a box and three days later decided to bury him. Their second child was born a girl prematurely. He buried her next to her brother in their backyard. Text messages from Sebella show she was aware of what happened to her children. On September 17, she texted the same acquaintance who reported the confession, “Steven burnt my babies.”
Murder Charges and Confessions
Steven Valle allegedly confessed to his acquaintance while inebriated that he smothered their first-born child and drowned their second child. Then he burned both of their bodies in the fire pit in their backyard. Valle’s acquaintance then went to the local police to report what he was told. It seems strange to plead not guilty after a confession like that. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office reported that Valle and Seballa have a 4-year-old son whose birth has never been reported. Seballa had an at-home birth and initially told police they did not have any other children or any other pregnancies. However, investigators found messages implying Seballa might have been pregnant on several different occasions.
After police searched their home and found the remains, Valle allegedly told them that Seballa had given birth twice at home by herself in the past few years. However, there are several messages sent from Seballa to Valle calling him “Baby Killer.” The texts that Seballa sent to Valle calling him out for the murder of her children led investigators to question him further. Valle claims that his children had been buried for as long as five years before he exhumed and burned their remains. Steven Valle and Samantha Jo Sebella have been charged with several felonies, including murder, child neglect causing death, and desecration of a corpse.
Final Thoughts
This is a chilling case where the defendants do not seem to be on the same side. The couple is facing serious murder charges, which they plead not guilty to. Valle has made an opposite statement to the police than his confession before being charged with murder. Steven Valle’s attorney, Mark Van Der Molen, said, “Mr. Valle is presumed innocent. I intend to fully examine the State’s case as it unfolds.” The big question remains, though. Why would Steven Valle wait five years to finally cremate his children?
It is unclear whether or not Sebella has made any statements to the police. She was given a public defender, just like Valle was. Although, her phone records are pretty damming in this case. Her attorney has not commented on the murder charges yet. It is odd, though, if she knew her children were being murdered, why did she not go to the police immediately? Valle and Seballa will appear back in court in December. In the meantime, the Indiana Department of Child Services has taken custody of the couple’s 4-year-old child.
