Colombian student “Lost Control” -guilty of manslaughter in trans sex worker killing
The Colombian business student Hector Enrique Valencia Valencia who killed Coogee sex worker Kimberley McRae, 69,when he attacked in a fit of rage,.. after discovering she was transgender, has been found not guilty of murder but rather manslaughter.
He now faces the prospect of a lengthy gaol sentence ,..and his sentencing hearing has been set down for May. There is some speculation from legal sources that at some stage of his imprisonment he may be repatriated to Columbia to serve his sentence in that country,. as often happens with foreign nationals.
It was the crowns case that Hector Enrique Valencia Valencia killed Kimberley McRae, 69, after a physical altercation when he hit and punched the deceased and then more critically “pressed a lamp cord against her neck.”
Hector Enrique Valencia Valencia
“Valencia, 23, admitted to violently attacking Ms McRae after going to her Mount Street unit and paying $100 for oral sex and initiating the altercation when he punched her in the stomach and face.and left her lifeless body inside her apartment in January 2020.”
Earlier this month he stood trial in the NSW Supreme Court where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to the more serious charge of murder.
In handing down her judgment on Friday afternoon, Judge Dina Yehia found the former business student not guilty of murder.
He will now face sentence proceedings for the charge of manslaughter.
Throughout his trial, Valencia admitted to assaulting and killing Ms McRae but his defence argued “he did not have an intention to kill or seriously injure Ms McRae,” whose body was discovered on January 14 some six days after her death.
“Her body was found on the floor of her bedroom covered in a doona, with a pillow over her head, and part of a lamp cord sitting over her neck and there was a used condom nearby.”
According to Crown prosecutor Craig Everson Valencia “exhibited an intention to inflict really serious injury” after he became angry and upset upon discovering that she was transgender.
Evidence showed that Ms McRae advertised her services on the web as a 38-year-old female and she presented herself as a “MILF” with “G-cup breasts”. She used the name Sabrina.
After exchanging messages on Whatsapp and organizing a visit to the deceased’s home unit in Coogee , Valencia received sexual services for around five to 10 minutes. Whilst still naked , Mr Valencia became suspicious”about Ms McRae’s sexual gender, and He said in his testimony, “that it was against his religious beliefs “to have sexual intimacy with another man” leading him to becoming upset and angry at this apparent deception.”
“Valencia admitted that he had submerged two mobile telephones owned by Kimberley in the Toilet before he decamped the scene of the crime.”
Evidence was tendered that whilst still naked, he punched Ms McRae but she grabbed a nearby lamp. and he claimed he was concerned that she would use this to choke him with the lamp cord, so
in order to avert this he “wrestled Kimberley to the ground and pressed the cord against Ms McRae’s neck, in what he claimed was reasonable self defence” ,..and in the process watched her possible death .”
The official autopsy stated that she died of neck compression, leading to asphyxiation, as well as noting she had suffered a fractured thyroid cartilage.
Several days after killing Ms McRae, Valencia sent a message to a friend saying “I threw my life away dude” and that he was worried about going to jail.
“I die of shame to tell this to anybody. I believe I killed a whore … I better go Colombia before they catch me. But I cannot see her in the news,” the social media message said.
“I do not know if she is dead, but she must be after what happened.”
In order to facilitate his escape from Australia,… Valencia sold his motorcycle for 2,000 dollars and apparently used his landlord’s credit card to purchase a flight ticket back to Colombia.
He was subsequently arrested in the Dutch Territory of Aruba (rather than Columbia) which actually has an extradition agreement with Australia.
He was returned to Australia under police guard to stand trial and today,.. Friday afternoon the 24th of March he was found not guilty of murder.
Enrico Valencia will face further sentence proceedings in May 2023.
