"A dog took her away from us"; Valencia receives life sentence for murder

Medford, Ore — The Medford man convicted of murdering a 38-year old woman receives his sentence. Jose Valencia was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for murdering Maria Rodriguez on September 1, 2013.

On Thursday, Rodriguez’s family addressed Valencia, saying his actions are unforgivable. They say they’re thankful for the work of the prosecutors and the jurors and relieved this painful process is over.

“It hurts me to see my family suffer,” Erin Carillo says, “but at least justice has been served for Maria now.”

Valencia declined to address the court Thursday only saying “with God’s help” as he thanked his court appointed attorneys.

Valencia must serve a minimum of 25 years of his life sentence before he’s eligible for parole. In addition to his life sentence, he’ll serve 60 days for attempted assault of a neighbor in the case.