Siblings get prison in 2020 Las Vegas slaying of man over $1,000 debt
A judge ordered prison sentences Wednesday for three siblings who killed a man to settle a debt.
Christian Juarez, 39, Juan Juarez, 37, and Janet Juarez, 27, admitted to fatally shooting Anthony Rivero, 21, in November guilty pleas pursuant to the Alford decision, meaning they admitted only that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict.
The December 2020 slaying came after Janet Juarez, who had a child with Rivero, demanded Rivero return money and a firearm, threatened Rivero and sent her brothers to collect from him, according to prosecutors.
District Judge Michelle Leavitt sentenced Janet Juarez to eight to 20 years in prison and Juan Juarez to serve a four- to 10-year prison sentence. She also ordered Christian Juarez, who was suspected of being the gunman, to spend 10 to 25 years behind bars and said the defendants must pay over $55,000 in restitution.
Those sentences were in line with what prosecutors requested.
“We are angry, we are sad,” Maria Rivero, the victim’s mother, told the judge. “We don’t enjoy anything anymore. Our pain still burns. It cuts like a sharp knife.”
Maria Rivero said her son enjoyed life, loved cooking and was determined to provide for his son.
Son’s life worth more than $1,000, mother says
Janet Juarez had given Rivero $1,000 to buy a car, with the expectation he would cover the rest of the purchase price, Rivero’s mother said. But after Rivero’s brother-in-law died from a heart attack, he gave the money from Janet Juarez to his sister to help pay for her husband’s funeral, according to Maria Rivero.
Janet Juarez demanded the money back, and Anthony Rivero was shot in the head and back as he sat in a car and as his family watched, she said.
“My son’s life was more than $1,000,” Maria Rivero said. “Much more.”
All three Juarez siblings apologized. The victim’s mother said she didn’t accept Janet Juarez’s apology. Because of the way the multi-defendant hearing was structured, she had not heard the other apologies before she addressed the court.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Brianna Lamanna said Janet and Juan Juarez showed little remorse in the aftermath of the shooting.
Janet Juarez vandalized Anthony’s gravesite, the prosecutor said. Juan Juarez claimed not to have been present when the shots were fired, but video evidence and eyewitnesses prove that’s not true, according to Lamanna.
Aaron Grigsby, the attorney representing Janet Juarez, said his client did not vandalize Rivero’s grave and was not present for the shooting. She is a hardworking mother with no prior convictions, he said.
Still, he acknowledged, she set in motion the events that led to the shooting.
“Janet, no matter what this court does, is going to have to live with the fact that her actions, even unintendedly, resulted in the death of the father of her child and someone who she loved,” Grigsby said.
Brother was ‘always seeking joy’
Grigsby asked for probation for his client. So did Garrett Ogata, Juan Juarez’s attorney, who said his client has never been in trouble before and is “extremely remorseful.” Juan Juarez was not part of the shooting, his lawyer argued.
Attorney Lance Maningo, who represented Christian Juarez, did not make an argument at the hearing, but said after court the case was tragic and his client took responsibility.
Christian Juarez’s prison term was stipulated in his plea agreement. He pleaded guilty to a count of second-degree murder. Juan Juarez pleaded guilty to a count of voluntary manslaughter and a count of conspiracy to commit murder. Janet Juarez admitted to a count of voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon.
Jhonatan Juarez, a fourth sibling, previously faced a murder charge, which was dropped. An additional defendant, Yanet Ruiz, pleaded guilty to a count of being an accessory to murder and received a suspended prison sentence and probation.
Stephanie Bayne, Rivero’s sister, said her brother “was always seeking joy, always ready for an adventure.” She said she would miss her brother’s laughter for the rest of her life.
No amount of prison time would bring back her brother, but the sentences were the best her family could ask for, she said.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.