Teen California Mom and Her Baby Brutally Killed by Older Sister Due to 'Jealousy and Sibling Rivalry’
A California mom and her baby daughter were allegedly killed by the mom's sister due to sibling rivalry and jealousy.
According to ABC 30, Fresno police said Yarelly Solorio-Rivera, 22, and her boyfriend Martin Arroyo-Morales, 26, were arrested this week for the brutal murder of Yanelly Solorio-Rivera, 18, and her three-week-old daughter, Celine, in September.
Police said the California mom was sleeping in her bed holding her baby when she was shot. Celine was also shot by the killer. More than five weeks later, there were still no arrests made. Police identified Arroyo-Morales through surveillance video.
After seeing the video, investigators realized they already talked to Arroyo-Morales, a gang member, at the Fresno home where the California mom and baby were murdered.
"And that is when the lies, the deception, and the evil intentions surrounding this case began to unravel," said Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama in a press conference on Thursday.
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The Motive for Killing of California Mom and Baby
Paco Balderrama said the California mom's older sister and her boyfriend confessed to the "crime and led detectives to the whereabouts of the murder weapon."
Balderrama noted that Yarelly Solorio-Rivera and Martin Arroyo-Morales cracked under questioning by investigators. The police chief said the motive was "jealously and sibling rivalry," Your Central Valley reported.
He noted that Yarelly was filled with jealousy towards her younger sister. Balderrama said the couple planned the killings and how to get away with them. He added that the two also showed no remorse even after confessing.
"We can now say with complete certainty that we have those responsible for this homicide in custody," Balderrama noted.
The California mom and daughter were found dead from gunshot wounds inside their bedroom at around 7:20 a.m. on September 24. Yanelly's family members called 911 to report hearing gunshots inside the room.
Police said Yarelly and four other family members were at the home during the shooting and her boyfriend was let in the house. Arroyo-Morales reportedly fled after the slaying.
Cases Filed Against Killers of California Mom and Baby
The Fresno Bee reported that Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said Yarelly Solorio-Rivera and Martin Arroyo-Morales each face two counts of murder and the charges will include the special circumstances that they committed multiple murders.
"The special circumstances murder brings about the penalty of life without the possibility of parole and the potential of the death penalty," Smittcamp noted.
The suspects were also each held on $2 million bail. Smittcamp said they will likely be arraigned next week. Paco Balderrama said he had "never seen something like this."
"We see a lot of violence in Fresno. Typically it's risky behavior or gangsters shooting each other, and to a certain degree, you expect that violence... But you don't expect it from your own sister, and you certainly don't expect it against a three-week-old child," the police chief noted.
Balderrama said many rounds were fired, hitting the California mom multiple times and the baby once. According to Fresno County Jail records, Arroyo-Morales was arrested Monday and Yarelly was detained Wednesday. The family has yet to make any public statements yet.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Bert Hoover
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