A California couple will spend several years behind bars over the double homicide of the woman’s younger sister and her newborn baby girl.
On Wednesday, Yarelly Solorio-Rivera, 24, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Her boyfriend and accomplice, Martin Arroyo-Morales, 28, was sentenced to just shy of 20 years behind bars.
The incident took place in late September 2022 at a Fresno residence, where Solorio-Rivera fatally shot her sister, Yanelly Solorio-Rivera, 18, and her sister’s 3-week-old infant, Celine Solorio-Rivera.
Crime Motivated by Sibling Rivalry
By November 2022, the older sister and her boyfriend confessed to their roles in the double slaying, according to then-Fresno Police Department chief Paco Balderrama.
The teen mom and her baby were shot in their upper bodies as they slept, in a crime motivated by sibling rivalry, police said. Detectives also later recovered a 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun used in the slayings.
At the time, both defendants were charged with two counts of murder, two enhancements for the use of a firearm causing death, and special circumstances of multiple murder, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office announced in a press release.
Elder Sister was Jealous of the Attention the Younger Sister and Her Baby were Getting
During a May 2023 hearing, the lead detective testified that the two sisters had frequently fought in the days and weeks leading up to the younger sister’s death, but said they “used to be good friends.”
A prior police call to their shared residence resulted in a firearm being taken from the eventual sister killer, the detective told the court.
Finally, the elder sister grew beyond jealous of the attention her younger sister and the baby were receiving, police said. Solorio-Rivera relished the idea of such attention being heaped on her and her own children. So, eventually, the envious sibling hatched a plan.
After the murders, and being captured on video as well as an increase in reward money announced by the sheriff’s office, Arroyo-Moroles admitted to his role in the crime, confessing that he was in the residence that day and that Solorio-Rivera gave him the firearm after the shooting. The man was arrested first, the woman was arrested two days later.
On Wednesday morning, the two defendants were sentenced as part of a negotiated settlement, the district attorney’s office confirmed. During the hearing, Fresno County Superior Court Judge Brian Alvarez sentenced the woman to two counts of life for each murder charge.
The woman’s after-the-fact accomplice pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter. He was sentenced to 11 years for each count but with nearly 3 1/2 years of time served and good behavior credits assessed against his sentence by the court.
