‘You guys got an axe to finish the victim off’
Judge scolds teen murderer at sentencing
Family members and loved ones of murder victim Dionecia Valencia were quiet during the Friday afternoon sentencing of Nikalus Overstreet, 18, who pleaded guilty
June 28 to first- degree murder, attempted murder and arson in the 39-year-old mother of five’s death.
Relatives and supporters of Overstreet were more emotional, especially during the prosecutor’s reading of victims’ statements before Tuolumne County Superior Court Presiding Judge Kevin Seibert itemized the terms of Overstreet’s sentencing in muted tones.
Overstreet, his dark hair pulled back in a bun and his lower scalp shaved, wore a mask over his nose and mouth and black-andwhite horizontal striped inmate togs with an ID badge clipped to a chest pocket as he sat next to Clint Parish, his court-appointed Sonora defense attorney.
Seibert sentenced the teen to 25 years to life in prison for first-degree murder, nine years for attempted murder, and eight years for arson, with no probation for all three counts.
In addition, Seibert said Overstreet will be accountable to $10,000 restitution. Overstreet has earned 857 days prison credit, Seibert said.
Earlier this year, Overstreet and Seber “Gage” Stokes, also 18, both pleaded guilty to the brutal slaying of Valencia, who was found dead by firefighters the morning of Aug. 13, 2019, near her burning trailer on Calle Quartz Road with numerous stab and chop wounds.
The attempted murder and arson charges stem from Overstreet and Stokes setting fire to Valencia’s trailer after killing her while one of her female friends was sleeping inside, though the friend managed to escape without injury.
Overstreet’s sentencing took place in a ground-floor courtroom Friday afternoon in the Historic Tuolumne County Courthouse on Yaney Avenue. The prosecutor was Assistant District Attorney Eric Hovatter.
Before the hearing, Parish and Hovatter talked with the bailiff deputy about how to seat Valencia’s family members and Overstreet’s family members.
Parish asked Siebert to include a personal statement Overstreet provided in his own probation report file. Hovatter spent 15 to 20 minutes reading victim impact statements aloud.
“Dionecia Valencia was an important person in my life,” Courtney Crawford,
Valencia’s niece, said in the statement Hovatter read. “She was kind and gentle … Nikalus Overstreet took away my ability to feel safe.”
Another of Valencia’s nieces, Shauna Armbright, said in her statement that two years since her aunt’s murder “it still feels unreal.” She said she found out on social media a body had been found in the fire at her aunt’s place, and she asked herself, “Is this my aunt?”
Armbright and her siblings used to call Valencia “Nona” when they were growing up.
Valencia’s son, Jason Torrey, wrote in his statement, “Dionecia was my mom. When my mom died, I didn’t know what to do.”
Garrett Crawford, one of Valencia’s nephews, said in his statement, “My aunt’s death has affected my life in many ways.”
Valencia’s niece Melita Cognetti said in her statement, “My family has endured so much pain. My Aunt Dionecia was a special person. For me, personally, she was like an older sister.”
Another of Valencia’s sons, Walter Torrey Jr., said in his statement, “Losing my mom was really a hard thing to go through. Not only did I lose a mom, I lost a friend.”
Angel Torrey, another of Valencia’s children, said it was difficult to explain what it feels like to have your mother taken away from you.
Seibert rejected a defense request to have Overstreet’s sentencing reduced for the attempted murder count. Parish said Overstreet’s prior criminal record of 30-some days in juvenile hall did not warrant a harsh sentence for the attempted murder count.
Seibert said Overstreet and Stokes burned down Valencia’s house that night in August 2019 and they left, leaving a friend of Valencia’s to burn to death, adding “that is a cold, calculated attempt to kill someone.”
“I can’t think of a crime as horrific as what you and Mr. Stokes did,” Seibert told Overstreet. “Criminal conduct here is a level of depravity I’ve never seen before. You not only helped kill callously with brute force and viciousness, you then burned the body so that recognition was not possible.”
One of Overstreet’s family members held her hands to her face throughout Seibert’s account of the killing of Valencia.
“You guys got an axe to finish the victim off,” Seibert said. “Eight separate blows to the skull. It’s hard to describe how horrible this crime was.”
Valencia’s loved ones left the ground-floor courtroom first and stepped down a hallway. Overstreet’s relatives and supporters left separately and exited the courtroom building. Some of them wiped their eyes as they walked down Yaney toward Washington Street.