Ramon Joseph Rivas, 36, of Simi Valley, was sentenced to 51 years to life in prison for stabbing his girlfriend to death in front of her children.
Ramon Joseph Rivas, 36, of Simi Valley, was sentenced to 51 years to life for the stabbing death of Jessica Marie Tinoco, 34.
On Sept. 27, 2024, Simi Valley Police Department officers responded to a reported stabbing incident at an apartment the couple shared.
When officers arrived, they saw Rivas exit the home shirtless and with blood on his upper torso. He was swiftly taken into custody.
Police entered the apartment and found Tinoco lying near the front door, suffering from multiple stab wounds to her face, abdomen and arms.
They also found a bent and bloody steak knife on the living room floor, along with blood throughout the residence, court documents said. The woman was transported to Los Robles Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The deadly stabbing occurred in front of Tinoco’s five children, prosecutors said.
Witnesses said that during a domestic dispute, Rivas went into the kitchen, grabbed a knife and began attacking Tinoco. She was stabbed multiple times, including four wounds that were determined to be fatal, prosecutors said.
One of Tinoco’s daughters acted quickly to take her younger siblings out of the apartment and flee to safety as they called 911.
In a victim impact statement, Tinoco’s daughter, Kimberly Gutierrez, remembers hitting Rivas and begging him to stop harming her mother.
“Imagine seeing someone take your mom and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Gutierrez said.
She also told Rivas that the trust and care they had for him made the murder even more painful, the Ventura County Star reported.
“I hope you realize you had a good family who loved you and know that you will not be able to experience that again,” said Tinoco’s daughter, Mariah Gutierrez.
Tinoco’s mother, Mary Crockett, also spoke during the hearing, saying, “You didn’t just end her life, you shattered a family. What made you turn and do something so horrible in front of five beautiful children who loved you like a father?”
On May 20, 2026, Rivas pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and admitted to 10 special allegations, including that the victim was vulnerable, that he used a deadly weapon, the crime involved great violence and that he had prior strikes.
On Aug. 7, 2026, Rivas was sentenced to 51 years-to-life in prison.
In a statement Rivas read aloud to the victim’s family in court, he expressed feeling shame and regret over his actions and claimed that he wished he had the strength to walk away, the VC Star reported.
“I’m forever scarred by the split-second decision I made,” Rivas said. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“The defendant’s willingness to take responsibility for his horrendous crime doesn’t excuse what he did to the victim and her family,” said John Barrick, a Senior Deputy District Attorney who prosecuted the case.
