Kimberley McRae, a well-known Coogee personality and author, was found dead in her apartment on January 14, 2020. Her body was badly decomposed and under a doona cover.
Hector Enrique Valencia, a Colombian business student, stood trial in the NSW Supreme Court for her killing earlier this month.
He admitted to placing a cord on her neck during an altercation until she stopped moving. Valencia was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of the alternate charge of manslaughter.
The court heard that Valencia became upset after learning that McRae was transgender, which led to the fatal altercation.
On January 7, 2020, McRae was captured on CCTV at a Bondi Junction post office. She went there to post a book to her friend.
These are the last known images of her before her death about 24 hours later.
McRae lived alone at the Mount Street unit and was a self-employed sex worker, advertising her services under different names.
On the day of her death, Valencia texted McRae after seeing one of her ads on an online classifieds website.
He paid her $100 for oral sex and became suspicious about her gender afterwards.
Valencia repeatedly asked her about her gender, and after McRae told him that she was transgender, he punched her in the stomach and face.
McRae armed herself with a nearby lamp and struck Valencia on the shoulder, which led to a struggle for control of the object.
Valencia took the cord of the lamp and pressed it down on her neck, holding it there for a few seconds.
Valencia left McRae’s apartment and later sold his scooter via the Facebook marketplace.
The next day, he used his landlord’s stolen credit card to book a flight back to Colombia.
He confessed to a friend via Facebook messenger that he believed he had killed a sex worker and needed to flee to Colombia before he was caught.
Valencia’s trial focused on whether he had the intention to kill or cause serious injury when he pressed the cord against McRae’s neck.
Justice Dina Yehia found him not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter.
She was satisfied that McRae died due to asphyxiation caused by neck compression. Valencia will return to court in May for a sentencing hearing.
»Hector Enrique Valencia stands trial for Kimberley McRae’ death«
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