Tacoma man stabbed his ex-girlfriend over and over again. Judge calls it ‘unforgivable’
A 41-year-old man was sentenced Friday to life in prison for tracking his ex-girlfriend to her new residence in Tacoma and stabbing her repeatedly, killing her, then turning the knife on a woman who witnessed the attack.
Jurors found Tony Rico Sanders guilty of aggravated first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, first-degree robbery, fourth-degree assault and third-degree malicious mischief in August for the 2021 double stabbing that killed 44-year-old Gaylee Anne Valente Curcio and seriously injured the 41-year-old woman who intervened.
At Sanders’ sentencing hearing Friday afternoon in Pierce County Superior Court, deputy prosecuting attorney Coreen Schnepf read a victim impact statement from Curcio’s father, Gilbert Valente, who wrote that his daughter was a smart, hard-working person who loved life and family. Curcio worked day and night to make Sanders’ life comfortable, Valente wrote, buying him a car and a house, but she had met a “heartless” individual who doesn’t respect women.
“What I want now is justice,” the prosecuting attorney read in court. “I want to make him pay for what he did. He is a dangerous person.”
Sanders was sentenced to life in prison for his aggravated first-degree murder conviction, and according to court records, he was sentenced to an additional 24 years for the attempted murder of the 41-year-old witness. That conviction carried a deadly weapon sentencing enhancement, and jurors found the offense was aggravated by the fact that the witness acted as a Good Samaritan.
The domestic-violence stabbing occurred weeks after Curcio had been thrown to the ground, dragged by her hair and choked by Sanders on Oct. 15, 2021 outside their home on South Trafton Street, prosecutors wrote in court filings. Curcio got away from Sanders and drove to the County-City Building downtown where she met with police, was treated by paramedics and taken to a hospital.
The next day, Sanders was arrested for an unrelated DUI incident, and Curcio moved from their Trafton Street home to another residence in Central Tacoma. Prosecutors wrote in court filings that she didn’t tell Sanders where she’d gone. Days later, Curcio obtained a domestic-violence protection order against Sanders. On Nov. 5, prosecutors said Sanders tracked Curcio to her new home and stabbed her 45 times.
Tacoma police were called to the 3100 block of South 9th Street that morning after a 15-year-old girl called 911. According to court records, her mother had left their apartment after hearing an argument, and she saw a man stabbing someone in an alley.
The woman took photos and videos and called 911. Sanders began to walk away, she later reported, but he turned back to her, and prosecutors said he stabbed her seven times in the neck, face and arms. Sanders wrestled the phone from her and ran away. Police found her lying in the living room of her apartment.
In the alley, police found Curcio stabbed inside of her vehicle. She was taken to the St. Joseph Medical Center, then transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle due to the severity of her injuries. She died Nov. 13, 2021.
Sanders was arrested Nov. 10 at a Tacoma residence with the assistance of the SWAT team, police said. In an interview with detectives, he admitted to stabbing Curcio and gave the location of the knife used in the attack and the phone he took from the woman who recorded it.
Because jurors made unanimous findings that Curcio’s murder was aggravated by the fact she had a court order prohibiting Sanders from contacting her and because they found it was an aggravated domestic-violence offense, prosecutors said state law bound Judge Philip Sorensen to sentence Sanders to life.
Sanders declined to address the court during the hearing. Before he was sentenced, his attorney from the Department of Assigned Counsel, Jessica Campbell, said Sanders was facing an emotional break-up and lacked the coping skills to deal with it. Campbell said she wanted the court to hear what brought Sanders to this position, explaining that he had one of the worst upbringings she’s seen. Sanders was born to a 15-year-old mother in Chicago and was exposed to violence, shootings and abuse, then developed substance abuse issues to cope, the attorney said.
“He very much started out life in a position that set him up to fail,” Campbell said.
Sorensen said he didn’t disagree that Sanders’ upbringing was terrible, but he thought his punishment was justified by the fact that a person who tried to slow down or prevent a crime from occurring was significantly harmed by Sanders, and it was justified for the stabbing of Valente’s daughter.
“What you did to his daughter is unforgivable,” Sorensen said.
