FALLON - Jose "Joey" Valencia clenched his fists, tapped his foot and grinned before receiving his sentence Tuesday for killing a 2-year-old Fallon girl two years ago.
Valencia was given life in prison with parole eligibility after a minimum of 10 years for the beating death of Nikaliah Knoch at the family's East Virginia Street home in 2005.
District Judge David A. Huff noted that Valencia was initially charged with first degree murder. He pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of second degree murder in a plea bargain just before his trial began.
As Valencia was led from the courtroom to begin serving his prison time, he grinned before he flipping off a Lahontan Valley News photographer who was covering the hearing.
Defense attorney Paul Yohey said Valencia maintains his innocence in the murder and only pleaded guilty because charges of being a habitual criminal were pending. He faced an almost certain life sentence on that charge, Yohey said.
The district attorney's office dismissed drug, child abuse and stolen property charges, along with the habitual criminal offense, as part of the plea deal.
Nikaliah's maternal grandmother urged the judge to impose the stiffest sentence allowed by law. Valencia was the boyfriend of Julie Camacho, Nikaliah's mother.
"My granddaughter does not have a second chance after 10 years," Gail Camacho said about Valencia's parole eligibility. "There is no punishment strong enough for this man."
Nikaliah died Aug. 16, 2005, two days after being taken off life support. She was airlifted to a Reno hospital after being rushed to Banner Churchill Community Hospital.
The toddler suffered more than 30 injuries, both fresh and healed, including a broken wrist that had healed and adult bite marks. A fatal head injury caused her death.
Nikaliah's 4-year-old sister and 5-year-old brother told investigators that Valencia hit their sister with a clothes hanger and his fist because the younger girl soiled her diaper and a bed.
Yohey said the victim was hurt over a period of time and her mother and uncle, who lived with the family, should be also held accountable for the abuse.
"The just resolution would be if all three of these people were looking at felony child abuse," Yohey said. "He does want the world to know he maintains his innocence. He wants the world to know he regrets the loss of this young child."
Deputy District Attorney Lane Mills pointed out that Valencia took the family's only car and fled to Reno after Nikaliah became unresponsive the day she was hurt.
"When this defendant fled the scene he took their only vehicle. That shows the character of this defendant. He took the only means by which this child could go to the hospital," Mills said. "His excuse was that he had a warrant.
"This is a man who did a horrific thing to a 2-year-old child and left her for dead."
Huff said he was quite familiar with the facts of the case after presiding over pre-trial hearings in which Nikaliah's two siblings testified. The hearings were set to decide if the children would be allowed to take the witness stand at the trial. Huff ruled they could testify before Valencia decided to plead guilty.
"As far as anyone else committing offenses, I don't see how that relieves this defendant of his responsibility," he said. "The court finds the more serious punishment appropriate."
Valencia was given credit for 715 days he spent in the Churchill County Jail after his arrest.