LANCASTER – Opening statements were made Tuesday in the trial of Renoir Valenti, the longtime Antelope Valley youth soccer coach charged with molesting or sexually abusing more than a dozen underage boys.
Valenti, an American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) coach and referee for several years, was arrested Aug. 6, 2012 at his Quartz Hill home. The arrest came after a next door neighbor reported that her son had been molested by Valenti.
Two days after his arrest, Valenti was charged with felony continuous sexual abuse of a child and annoying or molesting a child. Over the course of the criminal investigation, 15 alleged victims were identified, including five current or former soccer players Valenti coached.
During a four-day preliminary court hearing in October of 2012, some of the victims, along with law enforcement personnel, gave graphic testimony about the alleged abuse. Read more here.
In his opening statement Tuesday, Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami used a PowerPoint presentation to lay out for jurors a timeline of Valenti’s alleged crimes.
Born Raynord Haylock in 1959, Valenti illegally changed his name, date of birth and social security number in 1986, Hatami said. Valenti moved to Palmdale in the 1990s, and he molested numerous children in the Antelope Valley, with allegations going back to 1995 involving a 5-year-old boy, Hatami said. The majority of Valenti’s victims were young boys with blond hair and were between 5 and 10-years-old when the molestation or sexual abuse occurred, Hatami said.
One of the victims is Valenti’s son, who was 10-years-old when he told authorities that his father molested him, Hatami said.
Also included in the list of victims is Valenti’s ex-wife, who was just 13 when she started dating the 27-year-old Valenti, Hatami said. Valenti met the girl through her 8-year-old brother, and he married her two days after her 14th birthday, Hatami said.
The case was about a grown man who had molested young kids and stolen their innocence, Hatami told the jury.
“By the end of this trial, the evidence will show the defendant is nothing more than a serial child predator,” Hatami said.
Defense attorney Michael Morse said Valenti would be taking the stand during the trial to “categorically deny” all of the allegations, which stemmed from “jealousy.”
“He’s gonna tell you that none of this happened,” Morse said.
Valenti is facing 21 charges, the majority of which are misdemeanor child molesting. The charges also include five felony counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child, as well as four felony counts of procuring false or forged instruments, for allegedly obtaining social security numbers under the names Renoir Valenti and Raynord Haylock.
Valenti’s trial is expected to last at least three weeks, and up to 75 witnesses could be called to testify, Hatami said.
Previous related stories:
AV soccer coach to stand trial on child molestation charges
Boy molested more than 10,000 times, according to testimony
Preliminary hearing resumes in soccer coach child-molest case
Allegations aired in soccer coach child-molest case
AV soccer coach now charged with molesting 13 boys
More alleged victims identified in soccer coach child molestation case
Local youth soccer coach charged with child sexual assaults, more victims sought
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pickled pepper says
This guy is a sick pervert and so is anyone that defends him. Shame on you people. What if it was your kid. I hope he gets no less then life.
mick says
ok, Charlie kids lie! not about stuff like this, your probably just as sick as this [removed]. Who the stands up for a pedophile? another pedophile!
AV Folk says
No kidding. I’ve never heard the argument that a bunch of kids he coached, his own kid, and his 13 year old wife have all created this big lie. Weird stuff.
Lily says
What happened to the extensive background search before Mr. Valenti aka Haylock was hired to coach these precious children.
sikntired says
Yeah, how did he get by the fingerprint screening.Someone asleep at the wheel?
TimeLine says
“Since January 1, 2001, all AYSO Regions, Areas and Sections are required to comply with the AYSO policy on criminal background checks.”
http://beta.ayso.org/why_join_ayso/safe_haven/background_check_policy.aspx
If he was hired before 2001….
charlie says
come on now a days kids like to lie about stuff just like the mj sutff it was all lies it the moms and dads that tells their kids to lie so they can get money from it so they can buy that new car add more money to their house or whatever they want and that makes me sick and i not saying he did it or not i am just saying kids lie alot just so they can help with what their moms and dads did sorry it just my feeling cuz of it
AV Folk says
Kids tell the truth and sould be listened to.
fed up says
No, not always!!
fed up says
Amen!!!
AV Folk says
I know right! Michael Jackson was just friends with those kids and liked sleepovers. And this guy married a 13 year old, is accused by multiple children, and really he is the victim. Just like poor Michael Jackson.
sikntired says
Yup,a bastion of decency and an outstanding human being,think I will call him Short Eyes.
questions says
are there any statue of limirations on this kind of crime? this abuse goes back years and years?if so something still can me done to prosecute him on all children hurt?
coco says
Have you people all forgotten the Mc Martin case years ago.when everybody said ” children don’t lie” they all lied, and in the process destroyed all the Mc Martin’s lives who lost everything because of the media’s lies. All kids lie, especially when prodded by their parents and overzealous district attorneys who are trying to put a feather in their hat in an effort to promote at any cost. To make things worse, a law called Marsy’s law allows $5.000 to victims which encourage people who need money to jump on the band wagon and become a victim.
AV Folk says
Give it up Coco. 12 people heard the eidence and agreed that he is guilty. I’m sorry that you feel an innocent man was railroaded, but I think justice was served, at least to the minimal extent justice can ever be served in cases as grotesque as this.