Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Man accused of sexual assault, fatally choking woman

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Derrick Valentine

A California man is facing murder and sexual assault charges after a security guard responding to an alarm call Friday at a northwest Las Vegas home found a woman who had been assaulted. The woman later died at a hospital.

Derrick Valentine, 37, of Pasadena, Calif., is facing one charge of murder and two counts of sexual assault in connection with the woman’s death.

It is the policy of the Sun not to identify victims of sexual assault.

According to a Metro Police arrest report, Valentine told investigators he choked the woman to death after sexually assaulting her because he knew she would report what happened to the authorities. He said he tried to clean up some of her blood with cleaning products and when that didn’t work, he drank some of the cleaning products in hopes that he would die, he reportedly told police.

At about 7:30 p.m. Friday, a burglary alarm went off at a home in the 9100 block of Pearl Cotton Avenue, which is near the Durango Drive interchange on U.S. 95. The alarm company determined the interior garage door had set off the alarm but was unable to contact anyone at the residence by phone, so a company representative was sent to investigate.

Shortly after the alarm went off, police received a hang-up phone call from the residence. When dispatchers called back, a man who identified himself as “Derrick” said everything was fine and police weren’t needed, the arrest report says.

When the security officer arrived at the home, she knocked and rang the bell several times but no one answered, the report says. Eventually, Valentine came to the door.

He reportedly told the security officer that everything was fine, but that he needed an ambulance. He asked the officer not to call police and said he was alone in the residence, but the officer saw the woman lying on the floor, not moving, the report says.

At that point, Valentine went to the woman, slapped her face and said, “don’t die,” the arrest report says.

The security officer called police. Officers and paramedics responded and transported the woman, who had injuries to her neck, to Centennial Hills Hospital, where she died from her injuries.

Valentine went with detectives to the homicide bureau, where he was read his Miranda rights and interviewed. At first, he told investigators a tall, white man had hit him over the head and poured chemicals down his throat. He said he didn’t know any other details because he had been unconscious.

The report indicates that Valentine changed his account of what happened several times throughout the interview, which was videotaped. He eventually told police that he had touched the woman sexually without her consent and began to choke her. The woman asked if she could get a drink of water, and as she went downstairs she ran into the garage, which triggered the alarm. Valentine said he then choked her to death to prevent her from contacting police.

Valentine said he called 911 because he thought police might know the code to turn off the alarm but he changed his mind and hung up.

The report doesn’t indicate if or how Valentine and the woman knew each other or if he had been invited into the home.

Valentine is being held without bail in the Clark County Detention Center.

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