MORENO VALLEY: Man arrested after officials say he fatally stabbed wife

MORENO VALLEY — A man who officials allege fatally stabbed his wife inside their Moreno Valley apartment early Monday morning was arrested and now sits in jail on a murder charge, held on $1 million bail.

Monday’s murder was the third death in Moreno Valley in as many days, either deemed by sheriff’s officials as homicide or suspicious in nature.

In all three cases, Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit detectives are leading the investigations, two of which have already resulted in arrests.  The other incident, which began as a suicide investigation, is now being investigated as a suspicious death, according to officials.

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After being found inside an apartment with his wife’s lifeless body, officials detained and later arrested the victim’s husband, 36-year-old, Jose Alexander Rivas, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Steve Brosche explained after Rivas’ arrest. He was booked at Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of murder.

Deputies assigned to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Police Station were dispatched to an apartment near John F. Kennedy Drive and Perris Boulevard about 4:30 a.m., after receiving a 911 call reporting a stabbing. Officials did not specify who made the 911 call.

“When officers arrived, they found one adult female deceased inside her apartment,” said Brosche, who explained Rivas was also found inside the apartment. Officials have not yet released the victim’s name, pending further investigation and notification of the woman’s family.

Investigators from the Moreno Valley Police Station and the Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit responded to the location and assumed the investigation.

Officials later arrested Rivas about 13 hours after deputies first responded to the apartment and found the suspect and his wife, dead on the ground from one or more knife wounds.

Officials did not specify if there was a known motive for the fatal stabbing or what might have led to the deadly incident.

An online jail record search revealed Rivas remains in custody and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Mar. 22.

Moreno Valley PD’s investigation is active and ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Investigator Bishop with the Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-2777 or Investigator Patterson with the Moreno Valley Police Department at (951) 486-6700. Callers can refer to incident file number MV180780026 an can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s Homicide Tipline online form.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.