Sentencing of Ruben Solorio-Valenzuela for the Death of Amancio Corrales, August 21

The Plea Agreement arrived at in the case of the State of Arizona vs. Ruben Solorio-Valenzuela, for the death of Amancio Corrales on May 6, 2005, will be formally accepted by Presiding Judge, the Honorable Andrew W. Gould, at 1:30pm, Thursday, August 21, in his courtroom located on the third floor of the Yuma County Justice Center, 168 S. Second Avenue in Yuma.


At the sentencing on August 21, the Victim's Impact Statement will be presented to the court. The family encourages you to attend if possible to support the family. If you are unable to attend, the proceedings are scheduled to be presented via Yuma's Public Access Court TV Channel here.

Amancio Corrales, a 23-year-old gay man who performed as a female impersonator under the name Dalila, was found murdered in the Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona on May 6, 2005. He died from what has been publicly described by authorities as “violent trauma.”

In response to this brutal incident, Michael Baughman brought together local organizers in the GLBT Community along with members of the immediate family and close friends of Amancio to develop a strategy to offer aid and comfort to the family and to address the issues and concerns which have arisen around this violent crime. On Friday, May 27, 2005, organizers with local ties to the Yuma area representing the Yuma County Gay Rights Meetup, Yuma High School Gay Straight Alliance, Arizona Leadership Institute, Arizona Human Rights Fund, Southern Arizona Gender Association and the United Church of Christ facilitated a strategic planning session, resulting in the creation of the Amancio Project.

For more information, contact Michael Baughman, (928) 246-4856, E-mail: theamancioproject@gmail.com.