A California man will spend decades behind bars after admitting he brutally killed his girlfriend inside their home as all five of her children witnessed the horrifying attack.
Ramon Joseph Rivas, 36, was sentenced Friday to 51 years to life in prison for the September 2024 killing of his girlfriend, 34-year-old Jessica Marie Tinoco, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
Rivas pleaded guilty in May to one count of second-degree murder.
As part of his plea, he also admitted to several special allegations that increased the seriousness of his sentence, including using a deadly weapon, committing a crime involving great violence and targeting a particularly vulnerable victim.
“The defendant’s willingness to take responsibility for his horrendous crime doesn’t excuse what he did to the victim and her family,” Senior Deputy District Attorney John Barrick said following the sentencing.
The deadly attack happened Sept. 27, 2024, inside the couple’s shared home in Simi Valley, about 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
When police arrived, officers encountered Rivas walking out of the house shirtless with blood on his upper body.
He was quickly taken into custody.
Officers then entered the residence and found Tinoco lying just inside the front door with multiple wounds to her face, abdomen and arm.
Police also discovered a blood-covered steak knife on the living room floor. The knife was bent, and investigators reported finding blood throughout the home.
Tinoco was rushed to Los Robles Hospital, but doctors were unable to save her. She was pronounced dead.
Prosecutors said all five of Tinoco’s children witnessed their mother being attacked.
According to the district attorney’s office, witnesses said Rivas and Tinoco were involved in a domestic dispute when Rivas went into the kitchen, grabbed a knife and began attacking her.
The children fled the home as the violence unfolded.
Tinoco was stabbed multiple times, with authorities later determining that four of the wounds were fatal.
Members of her family confronted Rivas during his sentencing hearing and described the devastating impact of watching their mother die.
“Imagine seeing someone take your mom and there’s nothing you can do about it,” one of Tinoco’s daughters told the court.
She recalled seeing Rivas attacking her mother and desperately begging him to stop.
Another daughter addressed Rivas directly.
“I hope you realize you had a good family who loved you and know that you will not be able to experience that again,” she said.
Rivas also spoke during the hearing, apologizing to Tinoco’s family and directly addressing two of her children who were present in court.
“I’m forever scarred by the split-second decision I made,” he said. “I’m so, so sorry.”
But his apology did not change the sentence.
Rivas was ordered to serve 51 years to life in prison for a killing that prosecutors say not only took the life of a 34-year-old mother, but forced her five children to witness the deadly attack firsthand.
