Arizona man sentenced to more than 7 years for killing relative during fist fight

A Tucson man was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for beating a family member to death during a drunken fist fight in 2024.

Santiago Valencia Jr., 36, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter earlier this month.

Valencia told the court he was remorseful and devastated by the loss of the victim, identified in court records only by his initials, R.V. Both men had been drinking before the argument on the evening of June 15, 2024, according to the criminal complaint.

Court records indicate the victim was Valencia’s relative.

The argument turned physical

A witness told investigators that Valencia grabbed the victim and repeatedly slammed the back of his head into a concrete windowsill outside the home, according to the complaint. The victim was taken to Banner–University Medical Center, where he died the following morning.

Valencia fled the scene but was later arrested at a Tucson home.

Valencia was also ordered to pay $3,900 in restitution to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and a family member of the victim.

The case was prosecuted in federal court because the crime occurred in “Indian Country” and both men are enrolled members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.

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