Illegal immigrant sentenced to life in prison for murder of West Virginia woman

An illegal immigrant from El Salvador has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal killing of a West Virginia woman whose burned body was discovered under a couch along a roadside.

47-year-old David Calderon was sentenced Wednesday in Jefferson County Circuit Court after pleading guilty under an Alford plea to the murder of 32-year-old Samantha Dailey. An Alford plea allows a defendant to maintain innocence.

Dailey’s body was found badly burned and concealed under a discarded couch. The murder is believed to have occurred in Jefferson County. As part of the plea agreement, Calderon was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. However, due to consecutive sentences related to additional charges, he will not be eligible for parole for at least 19 years.

During the sentencing, members of Dailey’s family gave emotional statements. Her mother placed her daughter’s ashes on the podium while she spoke. Her uncle, Joshua Dailey, expressed frustration that West Virginia did not have the death penalty. He also criticized law enforcement for failing to prevent Calderon from remaining in the US after he had previously been denied entry by Canada.

“I stay awake at night. At work, I lose focus,” Joshua said, according to Metro News. “I think about her last moments and what I would have done.”

“She was a bright light in this world and it can be said she never knew a stranger,” he added. “But it took a stranger to extinguish her light.”

Calderon declined to apologize, telling the court through an interpreter, “God will judge us individually and he knows the reality of everything.”

Assistant Jefferson County Prosecutor Adam Ward described Calderon as a “dangerous and violent individual” who deprived the Dailey family of closure about how she died. Ward testified that the plea agreement was reached due to concerns over proving premeditation in court.