Morales gets two life sentences

COEUR d’ALENE — Angel Albertico Morales-Larranaga, 26, will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing his wife and stepdaughter.

Morales admitted to strangling his wife, 24-year-old Facunda Valenzuelaleon, and his stepdaughter, 6-year-old Dayana M. Valencia, on July 8, 2014. in a Post Falls apartment. The illegal immigrant admitted guilt as part of plea agreement that took the death penalty off the table.

On Monday morning, 1st District Court Judge Fred Gibler handed down two consecutive life sentences after the father of Morales’ dead wife testified about how the double murder left a permanent hole in his family’s life.

“She was the apple of my eye,” Roberto Velenzuelaleon told the courtroom through a court-appointed translator. “I would tell her every day 'you are beautiful.'”

He said this family’s life has now “changed completely.”

“I have this internal pain that is there all of the time,” he said. “It will be with us forever.”

Morales’ sister and his pastor of the past 10 months also testified.

Pastor Raymond Duran told the court he has been ministering to Morales in jail and, while they haven’t spoke much about his case, Duran said Morales was definitely remorseful.

“He is a man who is completely broken,” Duran said, as Morales teared up at the defense table.

Gabby Gonzalez testified her brother was always a good kid who loved his wife and daughters.

“He never had any trouble with police — not even a ticket,” she said, explaining how Morales behaved while growing up in Mexico. “He was never involved in gangs or drug trafficking, he just studied,” she testified through the translator.

She said Morales always loved his wife and kids, and he could never explain to her how or why he killed them.

“My brother told me he has no explanation. His mind just closed down,” she said as she teared up on the witness stand. “We have lost three lives, not just two.”

Morales also testified in the hearing, reading from a handwritten statement in Spanish. The statement was also translated and read into the court records.

“Yes I did commit a huge mistake in my life,” Morales said. “It hurts me so much to know I caused them such great pain.

“I cannot forgive myself,” he continued. “I don’t know what happened.”

Morales said he did not know what came over him during the time of the murder.

“I left this world for 10 minutes,” he said. “And for 10 minutes a demon took over me and had me finish off what I love most in life.”

Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh told the judge he felt the sentence was appropriate considering the violent nature of the crimes Morales committed.

“It is troubling where it involves the kind of violence that occurred in this case with strangulation and head trauma that was suffered by Facunda and Dayana,” McHugh said. “It is very disheartening and troubling.”

McHugh urged the judge to impose the fixed life sentences without parole, saying it would send a message to the community that this type of offense could result in a lifespan in prison.

Kootenai County Chief Public Defender John Adams said he felt blackmailed into taking the plea agreement and he wasn’t happy with the fact that Morales, who had an exceptionally clean record aside from the murders, will never have an opportunity for parole.

“I feel like I am being forced to plea a 26-year-old into fixed life sentences where he will die in a cage or face the institutional killing of a civilian prisoner,” Adams said, adding the sentence lacked dignity and grace. “There is no reason on Earth that a parole board couldn’t look at this in 40 or 50 years when he is 60 or 70 years old and say ‘We think you are ready to go back out into society.'”

While acknowledging both sides of the argument, Gibler ruled that the sentence was appropriate and imposed it.

According to past reports, on the morning of the murder, Morales went to the home of a family friend and told her he had strangled his wife and her daughter. When the friend called 911, according to police reports, Morales became “suspicious” and left the residence.

Police reports say the family friend told police Morales and Valenzuelaleon had just returned from California 10 days prior to the murder and the two were having marital problems.

“(She) continued by saying they were trying to work through it,” the report states. “(She) stated Facunda and Angel were never physical in their arguments but they did have arguments.”

The report states the family friend told officers Morales looked “like a zombie” when he was at their home and had lost a considerable amount of weight due to not eating.

Officers stopped Morales’ vehicle near Spokane Street and Poleline Avenue and arrested him.

After Morales was booked into the Kootenai County Public Safety Building, the police report said, an officer went to inform him his two daughters were being sheltered. During the conversation, Morales began mashing his fists together, gritting his teeth and grunting.

“Me and my wife… were like…” Morales reportedly said to the officer. “This is not me. Something inside of me...it’s wrong.”