‘Probably watched her die’: Sex worker’s final hours revealed before death

Warning: Incorporates reference of sexual violence

They’re the haunting final identified photographs of intercourse employee Kimberley McRae earlier than her demise by the hands of a Colombian enterprise scholar who’s now going through years in jail.

McRae’s badly decomposing physique was found inside her Coogee flat on January 14, 2020 when a involved relative contacted her actual property agent over rising considerations about her welfare.

Hector Enrique Valencia Valencia, 23, stood trial within the NSW Supreme Court docket over her killing earlier this month.

He admitted to punching the 69-year-old and through an altercation putting a wire on her neck till she stopped transferring, later telling his trial he “in all probability” watched her die.

Throughout his proof, Valencia mentioned he had change into upset after studying McRae was transgender, and punched her within the face and abdomen, initiating the deadly altercation which led to her demise.

On Friday, Justice Dina Yehia discovered Valencia not responsible of homicide however responsible of the alternate cost of manslaughter.

She mentioned it had not been confirmed past an inexpensive doubt that he meant to kill or trigger actually severe damage as he wrestled along with her inside her darkly lit Mount Road residence.

HER FINAL MOVEMENTS

The day earlier than she was killed by Valencia and her physique left beneath a doona cowl, she was captured on CCTV at a Bondi Junction publish workplace.

The pictures are the final identified footage of the well-known Coogee persona and creator.

Throughout her verdict handed down on Friday afternoon, Justice Yehia mentioned whereas Ms McRae was transgender and a intercourse employee, no judgement was made about her way of life.

“It must be clearly understood that Kimberley McRae was entitled to dwell her life as she wished,” Justice Yehia mentioned.

She added Ms McRae had a twin sister, and was a beloved member of the family and a pal to many.

McRae lived alone on the Mount Road unit and printed a memoir below the pen identify of Isabella Lawson in December 2018.

She was a self-employed intercourse employee and marketed her companies below the names “Sabrina”, “Samantha”, “Caitlyn” and “Isabella”.

On the afternoon of January 7, 2020, she went to a publish workplace at Bondi Junction to publish a ebook to her pal.

CCTV cameras captured her strolling into the shop at 4.46pm and chatting with a publish workplace employee earlier than departing.

They’re the final identified photographs of her earlier than her demise about 24 hours later.

“CAN I TOUCH YOU DOWN THERE?”

Hector Enrique Valencia Valencia arrived in Australia on a scholar visa in Could 2019.

Whereas in Australia he rented a room at a townhouse in Matraville for $200 per week, labored at a Little Bay cafe and attended a enterprise faculty two evenings per week.

On the afternoon of January 8, 2020, Valencia texted McRae after seeing one in all her commercials on an internet classifieds web site.

In her commercial, McRae didn’t state that she was transgender and described herself as a 38-year-old “blonde Australian busty MILF with G-Cup breasts”.

“Hmmm im (sic) sorry however I wish to do oral intercourse :(…. Let me suppose,” Valencia wrote to her at 2.49pm.

After asking for a pic, he wrote six minutes later: “Okay okay I agree. Kust (sic) final query. Can I contact you down there?”

After being given McRae’s tackle, he was informed to name her when he arrived.

The final outgoing name on McRae’s telephone was to Valencia’s quantity at 3.35pm and he left her house at 4.15pm.

ANGER AND PANIC

What occurred inside McRae’s Mount Road residence in these 40 minutes has been pieced collectively by each forensic and Valencia’s proof.

The courtroom heard McRae’s residence was stored darkish – she had blackout curtains and her gentle switches had been lined in duct tape.

After arriving, he was informed to enter the bed room, get bare, and lie on the mattress.

He paid McRae $100 for oral intercourse and afterwards turned “suspicious” about her gender.

He repeatedly requested her about her gender and after asking her in a raised voice, she mentioned that she was transgender.

Valencia mentioned throughout his testimony that he turned “upset” as a result of it was towards his non secular beliefs.

“He agreed in cross examination that when he discovered Kimberley McRae was transgender that he was offended,” Justice Yehia mentioned.

“Fuelled by that anger, he punched her within the abdomen and face.”

McRae armed herself with a close-by lamp and struck Valencia on the shoulder and so they fell to the ground as they wrestled for management of the item.

Valencia mentioned at this second he was “scared” that she would choke him and through the altercation, he took the wire of the lamp with each fingers and pressed it down on her neck.

In his proof, Valencia mentioned he “in all probability” watched her die and held the wire over her neck for “a number of seconds”.

“I THREW MY LIFE AWAY DUDE”

When Valencia returned house after lessons, he informed his landlord he had been out on the lookout for jobs.

The following day he offered his scooter by way of Fb market for $2000.

On January 10, he used his landlord’s stolen bank card to ebook a flight again to Colombia for $2100 nevertheless missed his flight.

At a Flight Centre at Sydney airport he booked one other one-way ticket for the subsequent day and took a multi-stop flight to Bogota.

Earlier than he departed, he had a dialog with a pal by way of Fb messenger, in response to the assertion of agreed info.

“Dude you’re one of many few I can belief,” Valencia mentioned.

“And the reality is that tomorrow I’m travelling to Colombia.

“I used to be going to journey immediately however I misplaced my flight and earlier than that I dropped some nuggets.”

The pal replied: “Uff… Sudden change?”

Valencia’s reply mentioned: “I threw my life away dude. I’m escaping as a result of I don’t wish to end in jail in Australia.”

He added that he was “determined and wished to die” and was “nonetheless in shock”.

When his pal requested what he had carried out, he wrote: “It’s that I die of disgrace to inform this to anyone.”

“I consider I killed a whore,” he confessed.

He added that he wanted to flee to Colombia “earlier than they catch me” and that “I’m not in a position to face my household after this.”

“I hope to see you sooner or later… I have no idea what I did with my life.”

Valencia flew out of Sydney on LATAM Airways flight LA802 at 10.18am on January 11.

“I COULD ONLY SEE A FOOT”

Over the approaching days, Kimberley McRae’s household and mates turned more and more frightened as they had been unable to contact her.

Her twin sister contacted her actual property agent and two feminine property managers went to the Mount Road unit about 10am and located her entrance door unlocked.

“I may solely see a foot, it was black and there was a blanket overlaying. I don’t suppose I can return in there,” one of many girls mentioned throughout a frantic triple-0 name.

“I don’t suppose she was awake. I believe it’s been a while. There’s a odor.”

Her physique was found subsequent to a black lamp, which had a damaged wire, and a discarded used condom inside a paper towel close by.

Three of her telephones had been thrown in the bathroom by Valencia.

A warrant was issued for Valencia’s arrest in February 2020 and he was arrested just a little over a fortnight later in Aruba.

In November that yr, he was extradited again to Sydney below police guard.

INTENTION TO KILL

Valencia confronted trial within the NSW Supreme Court docket earlier this month the place he pleaded not responsible to homicide and responsible to manslaughter, although the plea to the lesser costs was not accepted by prosecutors.

It was not a problem whether or not he had killed McRae, with the trial specializing in whether or not he had an “intention” to kill or trigger actually severe damage when he pressed the wire towards her neck.

Choose Yehia mentioned that within the “intervening interval” after punching McRae and earlier than urgent the wire on her neck, he was scared and panicked through the wrestle.

Justice Yehia mentioned she was glad that McRae died resulting from asphyxiation brought on by “neck compression”.

She pointed to a number of key items of forensic proof find Valencia not responsible of homicide.

Particularly, that an individual may very well be rendered unconscious in a matter of seconds.

As nicely, the trial heard that McRae underwent surgical procedure to skinny her Adam’s apple, which may have made her larynx extra susceptible to fracture.

She added that Valencia’s model of occasions was not inconsistent with the forensic specialists who gave proof through the trial.

Valencia will return to courtroom in Could the place he’ll face a sentence listening to earlier than studying his destiny at a later date.