Fountain Valley Regional Hospital — Hospital Where Rivera Arrived
A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to 16 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of a 51-year-old man on a Santa Ana street more than three years ago. Ricky Raymond Rocha admitted to fatally stabbing Javier Rivera, who was from Cathedral City, and also admitted a sentencing enhancement for personal use of a deadly weapon along with an allegation that he participated in a gang.
The stabbing happened on July 12, 2023, according to MyNewsLA.com. Santa Ana police officers were first alerted to the attack that night at 10:43 p.m., when Rivera arrived at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital suffering from severe blood loss after being stabbed near Euclid Street and McFadden Avenue, according to New Santa Ana. Rivera was intubated and transferred to a local trauma center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:00 a.m. the following morning, per the same outlet.
A Four-Month Manhunt Ends in Arrest
Santa Ana Police Department homicide detectives did not make an arrest until November 28, 2023, more than four months after the fatal stabbing, the outlet’s report notes. Both Rocha and Rivera were documented gang members, according to statements from the Santa Ana Police Department, which is why investigators designated the killing as a gang-related attack. To encourage tips in the case, the department listed the homicide investigation as eligible for Orange County’s Gang Reward Program, the same report states…