Where is Roberto Ayala's killer Paul Moore now? Details explored ahead of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered

The upcoming re-airing of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is all set to delve back into the 2011 murder of Roberto Ayala, who was killed in a bomb explosion after self-triggering it on a rice field south of Colusa, where he worked as the manager. He was accompanied by his young son, who saw the event and ran for over two miles to fetch help.

Roberto Ayala's murder could have very well been ignored as an accident, and it initially was, since faulty farm equipment could have been behind it, but an anonymous letter that took responsibility for the crime made sure that authorities interpreted it as a homicide.

Titled Family Business, this episode originally aired on April 5, 2019, and is set to re-air on March 5, 2024, at 7 pm EST on Oxygen. The synopsis for the episode reads,

"Investigating whether an explosion in a rice field in Colusa County, California that killed farm manager Roberto Ayala is an accident or murder."

Paul Moore, the son of Roger Moore, who co-owns the 1,800-acre family farm with his brother, Gus Moore, was implicated and sentenced for the crime. He continues to serve his sentence as of now.

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Why did Paul Moore kill Roberto Ayala and how was he caught?

Roberto Ayala was a farm manager at Moore Brother Farms in 2011, where he was a beloved member of the crew that took care of operations. Roger Moore reportedly shared a close bond with Ayala and even used him as a shining example of hard work.

Paul Moore, who was the son of the owner, meanwhile, believed that he wasn't treated with enough respect. Though he was to take over the farm one day, his status was much lower on the farm, and that allegedly bothered him. He was particularly jealous of Roberto Ayala, who was playing a prominent role on the farm. Moreover, Roger reportedly wanted his son to work hard to receive his position on the farm, but Paul never intended to do that.

Ultimately, Paul planned to murder Roberto Ayala in a way that would make it look like an accident. He planted a bomb that would be triggered when Ayala handled the irrigation pump. The explosion killed Ayala and set his body on fire.

Though it wasn't clear that it was a murder at first, on August 12, 2011, the police received an anonymous letter claiming responsibility for building and detonating the bomb. They also received a second letter on August 15, 2011, which had a diagram of the bomb used in the explosion.

Authorities later searched Moore's home and found evidence that linked him to the crime. This was enough evidence for the authorities to arrest and charge Paul Moore.

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Where is Paul Moore now?

Paul Moore was arrested about five months after the day of the explosion. His trial took place in 2013. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his involvement in the murder of Roberto Ayala.

As of now, Moore is serving his life sentence in Avenal State Prison in Kings County, as per California Incarcerated Records. An appeal to overturn the judgment was rejected in 2016.

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The upcoming episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will cover this murder in more detail.