Joaquin Valenzuela and his brothers were born in Pueblo de Murrieta on the Rancho Tapizuelas, in southern Sonora near the border with Sinaloa. He and his brothers were cousins of Joaquin Murrieta. Joaquin Valenzuela came to California with his four brothers in 1849; with Joaquin Murrieta and his fiance Rosa Féliz and three of her brothers Jesus, Claudio and Reyes Feliz; two of Joaquin Murrieta's Spanish born Murrieta cousins Joaquin Juan and Martin Murrieta that lived in nearby El Chinal; and several other men from Pueblo de Murrieta and its vicinity on the Rancho Tapizuelas. He later became one of the leaders of the Five Joaquins Gang, responsible for leading the gang's organized gathering of mustangs and stolen horses in California, and with his brother Teodoro, for their transport to Sonora and sale there. The Daily Alta California, reported on August 5, 1853 about Captain Love returning from the fight on the Cantua:
Joaquin Valenzuela is said by various surviving gang members or their descendants, to have been one of the several unnamed gang members killed by the California Rangers during their attack on the gang at the Arroyo de Cantua, on July 25, 1853. He was later buried, with his head and both of his hands, by these gang members, and also according to them, the burial party included Joaquin Murrieta himself, who had been away in the mountains and had not been in the skirmish. According to the descendants of the family and former gang members the gang had been closing down their operation, gathering up and sending off the last of their droves of horses and leaving for Sonora when the Rangers struck.
Official death, 1858
Joaquin Valenzuela's brother Jesus Valenzuela had a nickname dating from his childhood in Pueblo de Murrieta, Ocho Moreno, and was also one of the named Five Joaquins Gang members, known to the State of California as Joaquin Ocomorenia. Jesus took his brother's name as an alias after Joaquin Valenzuela was killed at Arroyo Cantua. Under his name Jesus Valenzuela, became an acknowledged associate of Jack Powers and Pio Linares but still called himself Ochomorenia. Under the name Joaquin Valenzuela, Jesus worked on the Rancho San Emidio, living there with his family, but was known by some as a former Murrieta gang member. In 1858, following the murders, robbery and kidnapping at the Rancho San Juan Capistrano del Camate, Jesus was arrested by a San Luis Obispo vigilante searching the Rancho San Emidio for the Rancho San Juan murderers. He was recognized by several persons as Joaquin Ocomorenia, thought to be the alias of Joaquin Valenzuela, of the Five Joaquins Gang named in the 1853 bill authorizing the California Rangers to hunt down that gang. On the basis of that identification as Joaquin Valenzuela he was arrested by the vigilantes who had believed Jesus was Joaquin Valenzuela who they believed went by an alias Joaquin Ocomorenia. The Daily Alta California, reported on June 3, 1858 on his fate: Jesus did not alert them of their mistake and after a trial by the San Luis Obispo Vigilance Committee, he was hung under his brothers name. Later after Valenzuela had been executed, when Desiderio Grijalva was questioned after his capture, Grijalva disclosed that he had shot from behind, John Gilkey, a witness to their presence nearby at the time of the Rancho San Juan robbery and murders. He said that Jesus Valenzuela had afterwards dragged Gilkey fifty yards at the end of his riata. Walter Murray a leading member of the San Luis Obispo Vigilance Committee and its apologist wrote to the San Francisco Bulletin: Murray and the Committee unaware they had just hung Jesus Valenzuela, after a long, futile search by the vigilantes, believed Jesus Valenzuela had escaped their punishment for his crimes with the gang of Pio Linares at Rancho San Juan Capistrano del Camate. If Latta's informants were correct then Jesus Valenzuela had been executed and paid for his part in the Rancho San Juan robbery and murders and all his earlier crimes with the Five Joaquins Gang.
Later dispute over Joaquin Valenzuela's Innocence
The Los AngelesClamor Publico gave a long account of the lynchings in San Luis Obispo county, and was very indignant about them. The Daily Alta California, of 4 June 1858 translated a portion of a long editorial on the subject including this about Joaquin Valenzuela: Walter Murray wrote in the Bulletin a reply to the Clamor Publico about Joaquin Valenzuela: Murray went on about Valenzuela's association with Jack Powers: Murray criticized David W. Alexander for his defense of Valenzuela as an innocent man:
