DATE: August 21, 2018
CASE: Juan Rivera & Lisa Burton (Case #15F03256)
PROSECUTOR: Supervising Deputy District Attorney Chris Ore, Special Assault & Child Abuse Unit
The Honorable Steve White sentenced Juan Rivera to life in prison without the possibility of parole. On June 18, 2018, Rivera pled guilty to murdering 6-year-old Jadianna and the special circumstance he committed the murder while engaged in committing a lewd or lascivious act on her. He also pled guilty to committing lewd acts with a child under 14 years of age.
Juan Rivera took custody of Jadianna after he convinced her mother to leave Jadianna for medical reasons. On May 27 and 28 of 2015, Rivera sexually assaulted Jadianna and inflicted blunt force trauma on her, which resulted in her death. Rivera then drove to Glenn County, where he burned Jadianna’s body. When he returned to Sacramento, Rivera feigned a seizure before notifying the police that Jadianna had gone missing. Rivera’s mother, Lisa Burton, aided her son after the killing by providing him with a stolen vehicle to transport Jadianna’s body.
On April 21, 2017, Burton pled guilty to being an accessory after the fact to murder and vehicle theft. She was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
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