Pair plead guilty in ’05 killing of Ore. woman

PORTLAND (AP) — Two men have pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2005 death of a Hillsboro woman who was stabbed 29 times with a screwdriver.

Leonardo Cruz-Casarez, 38, and Jorge Reyes-Sanchez, 29, were convicted of aggravated murder two years after the killing of Jessie Mary Valero, but the Oregon Supreme Court tossed their convictions, saying the trial judge should have allowed hearsay evidence that a woman had confessed.

The men agreed Friday to serve 10-year sentences for first-degree manslaughter. With credit for time served, they are likely to be released in 2015.

Valero, 48, was found dead in her apartment.

Prosecutors contended Valero was killed in a burglary, and the defendants planned to steal jewelry to exchange for methamphetamine.

At trial, Cruz-Casarez’s defense attorney Ray Bassel said an independent investigation turned up a different suspect.

At Friday’s hearing, the victim’s relatives asked the judge not to accept the plea deal. “I feel like right now, the justice system in Oregon isn’t doing anything,” Jessie Valero’s son, David, said.

Judge Thomas Kohl said the state’s evidence, weakened or lost over time, led to a resolution he described as “unfortunate.”