Since Camasca admitted her guilt in court, Hegarty told her that he would drop the allegation charge, which also got rid of a second strike.
“I find that her plea has been made freely and voluntarily,” he said.
Under California law, people convicted three times of violent crimes face the possibility of being sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on their third strike.
Prosecutors originally offered Camasca eight years in prison. The maximum sentence for her offense is 11 years in state prison, Hegarty said.
Camasca also was ordered to pay a $200 court restitution fee, and she received credit for 133 days already served in jail.
She was arrested Oct. 26 after she stabbed her boyfriend, George Valarezo, in the lower abdomen with a large kitchen knife during a dispute inside their one-story home in the 300 block of West Broadway.
Paramedics found Valarezo unconscious inside the home and took him to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Hospital, where he later recovered and was released.
The couple’s daughter was home during the attack and was taken to a family member’s home, where she remained during the police investigation.
Glendale Police Det. Petros Kmbikyan, the lead investigator assigned to Camasca’s case, was not pleased about the plea deal.
“Am I upset, absolutely,” Kmbikyan said. “I think she deserved to do more time than five years for two counts of domestic violence when she used a knife in both [charges].”
Considering the injury to Valarezo she should have not been given a lesser sentence, he said.
“I would like to see someone like this getting more than five years,” Kmbikyan said. “People need to be held accountable for their actions.”
VERONICA ROCHA covers public safety and the courts. She may be reached at (818) 637-3232 or by e-mail at veronica.rocha@latimes.com.
