Public Safety
‘It’s a joke’: Man who sexually assaulted dying teen sentenced to 34 months in prison
A Washington man who admitted to raping 18-year-old Alyssa Noceda as she overdosed and died earlier this year was sentenced to 34 months in prison.
Noceda’s loved ones and even the judge who sentenced 20-year-old Brian Varela called the sentencing inadequate.
“You might as well let him walk free with that kind of time,” Rachelle Palmer, Noceda’s aunt, told The Herald.
“It’s a joke,” Gina Pierson, Noceda’s mother, told KOMO-TV. “Usually people who do stuff like this don’t get away with a slap on the wrist.”
In February, Varela provided Noceda with drugs at a party, which tests determined were fentanyl, Xanax and concentrated THC. Varela then molested her as she overdosed in his bedroom, KOMO-TV reported.
He did not intervene as she was dying, but instead sent photos of Noceda’s lifeless, partially clothed body to co-workers.
The next morning, Varela later told police, Noceda’s lips were blue and she was cold to the touch. He went to work that day and when he returned, stuffed her body in a crate with plans to bury her and flee the country, according to reports.
However, a co-worker called police.
Varela, 20, pleaded guilty to rape, manslaughter and unlawful disposal of remains.
Superior Court Judge Linda Krese said Varela’s sentence was the most time allowed under state guidelines. She said in court that the sentence was inadequate for the crime, The Herald reported.
By: NBC Palm Springs
November 16, 2018
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