via The Daily Beast
A Washington state man who raped an 18-year-old woman as she was dying of an overdose instead of calling 911 has been sentenced to less than three years in prison. Brian Varela, 20, pleaded guilty earlier to manslaughter, rape, and unlawful disposal of remains in connection with the death of Alyssa Noceda. Prosecutors said Varela, instead of seeking help for Noceda after she fell unconscious, sent out text messages with pictures of her semi-naked body and boasted to friends that he was assaulting her “to pass the time.” Noceda, who’d taken drugs in Varela’s room, some of which he provided, died after taking a lethal mix of fentanyl and alprazolam, the generic name for Xanax. Superior Court Judge Linda Krese sentenced Varela to two years and ten months in prison, saying state law would not allow for a longer sentence since Varela has no prior criminal record. Krese lamented the leniency of the sentence, noting that she had seen auto theft cases with harsher punishment. Noceda’s family has also expressed outrage over the sentence. “You might as well let him walk free with that kind of time,” Rachelle Palmer, Noceda’s aunt, told the Herald.