Utah man accused of rape is no stranger to violence against women, daughters say


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HEBER CITY — When she heard the news Wednesday that her father had been jailed in Wasatch County for investigation of kidnapping and rape, Virsel Daley's oldest daughter was overwhelmed.

"I started laughing hysterically and started crying at the same time," said Emily, who lives in Utah County. "I felt relief, like, 'Finally he's going to get charged with something,' but I also felt broken and devastated and scared."

Emily and her sisters — Charity, Camilla and Amanda — agreed to talk with KSL about their father Thursday but asked that their last names not be published. Daley's arrest last week by Heber City police is the latest chapter in their father's long history of violence against women, according to the sisters.

That includes abuse visited on their late mother, Judi Dinkins, while she was married to Daley in the 1980s, the women said.

"I know that for her, being married to him was hell," Amanda said. "She was tortured. She was terrified. She was beaten and abused. She was raped."

Dinkins wasn't able to pursue rape charges against Daley though because spousal rape wasn't a crime under Utah law at the time. After her divorce, Dinkins helped spearhead legislation that changed the law in 1991.

"I remember her spending weeks, hours, all day trying to work toward having (the law) changed," Charity said.

Dinkins also became a major supporter of the rape crisis centers, family support centers and other programs to help victims of sexual violence, her daughters said.

Finding Help
24-hour toll-free hotlines:
  • Utah Domestic Violence Link Line: 1-800-897-LINK
  • Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis Line: 1-888-421-1100.

That support wasn't just based on Dinkins' own experiences. It was also tied to allegations by Emily, Charity, Camilla and Amanda that their father had sexually abused them during court-ordered visits after the divorce.

"I don't have clear memories of it all, but I have some memories," said Amanda, the youngest. She was about 2 years old when medical exams and interviews confirmed she had been abused, she said.

"I do remember remembering," she added, "and I do remember telling."

Daley, known to most people as "VJ," was charged with rape of a child, according to court records his daughters have collected and saved in a white file box that also holds some of their father's mental health evaluations, letters and other documents detailing his alleged crimes over the years.

"I read a letter from his landlord saying that, when we moved out of the house that we were living in with him, she found spy holes in the closets," Amanda said.

Daley was never convicted of rape of a child. His daughters said the cases were dismissed after their father agreed to provide prosecutors with information in several drug cases.


I want her to know that she's not alone. I want to thank her for having a voice and for giving a voice to my sisters and I, to our mother and to all the other women he's victimized.

–Emily, daughter


"As a child, that's very confusing and leaves a lot of emotional damage and confusion that lasts throughout adulthood," Camilla said.

State court records show Daley has faced felony charges 17 times since 1986, including a 1996 rape charge that was dismissed when he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of fleeing from police and leaving the scene of a crash. Daley has felony convictions for drug possession, forgery and aggravated assault, according to court records.

His daughters, however, said they know about other incidents involving their father that haven't been addressed by prosecutors and police. They each characterized their father as an extremely manipulative person, and said that's helped him over the years.

"Throughout his whole life he has somehow avoided being prosecuted," Charity said. "He's avoided being held accountable for the things he's done."

The women hope that won't happen in the Wasatch County case where Daley, 57, is charged with rape, sodomy, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault. He is accused of raping his live-in girlfriend and beating her more than once, causing serious injury.

“(The victim) advised she still has ringing (in) her ears, blurry vision, headaches, and can’t think straight,” charging documents state. "(The victim) explained she felt as though if she did not tell (Daley) what he wanted to hear that he was going to kill her.”

Judi Dinkins sits with her daughters, Emily, Charity, Camilla and Amanda, in an undated photo provided by the family. Now adults, Dinkins' daughters say their mother was raped and beaten by their father, Virsel Jay "VJ" Daley. They also allege that Daley sexually abused them as children. Daley was charged April 17, 2015, in 4th District Court with kidnapping, rape, forcible sodomy and assault for an alleged attack on another woman. (Photo: Dinkins family)
Judi Dinkins sits with her daughters, Emily, Charity, Camilla and Amanda, in an undated photo provided by the family. Now adults, Dinkins' daughters say their mother was raped and beaten by their father, Virsel Jay "VJ" Daley. They also allege that Daley sexually abused them as children. Daley was charged April 17, 2015, in 4th District Court with kidnapping, rape, forcible sodomy and assault for an alleged attack on another woman. (Photo: Dinkins family)

Police say the woman’s statements are consistent with bruises found on her body at Heber Valley Medical Center. Daley's daughters said they're grateful the woman came forward.

"I want her to know that she's not alone," Emily said. "I want to thank her for having a voice and for giving a voice to my sisters and I, to our mother and to all the other women he's victimized.

"We support her and are willing to do anything we can to help her and make sure that he stays locked up where he should be," Emily added.

The sisters said their father has been married at least eight times. They have contacted two Utah police departments this week to provide detectives with information about their father, Emily said.

The women also plan to explore the possibility of having their father charged for alleged abuse they endured as children, and they want anyone else who might have been abused to come forward.

"It's not your dirty laundry. It's not your secret. It's not your shame or something you should be hiding," Charity said. "It's something the perpetrator should be ashamed of and held accountable for.

"You can be abused as a child and you can grow up to be a successful happy adult," she added. "You can hurt and you can heal."

Daley is being held without bail in the Wasatch County Jail. He told a judge he planned to hire an attorney, however, as of Thursday no lawyer was listed in court records.

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Geoff Liesik

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