Fresno woman gets 2 life sentences for killing sister, infant niece

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – More than three years after the shocking murders of 18-year-old Yanelly Solorio-Rivera and her 3-week-old daughter, Celine, on Sept. 24, 2022, her sister and her sister’s boyfriend were sentenced to prison for their deaths.

In the courtroom, Judge Brian Alvarez sentenced 25-year-old Yarelly Solorio-Rivera to two life terms for shooting and killing the young mother and infant in their sleep at their Fresno home.

Her boyfriend, 29-year-old Martin Arroyo-Morales, was handed down a 22-year prison sentence for two counts of voluntary manslaughter.

However, it was the sisters’ father who pleaded to the judge that Arroyo-Morales should have the longer sentence.

“He is the one guilty of all of this,” said Marcelino Solorio-Saragoza. “I know that you’re trying to do what’s right. But as a father, I already lost one daughter, and I do not want to lose another one just because someone got away with it.”

Still, that desperate plea would fail.

“She will never be on parole. She will die in prison,” said Fresno County Judge Brian Alvarez.

The 25-year-old Solorio-Rivera had been facing the death penalty until she came to a plea agreement with prosecutors, to change her plea from not guilty to no contest.

“Mr. Solorio is going to be losing two daughters today. She made a deal with the state, and the court is going to follow through with that. She avoided a potential death penalty,” Alvarez said.

Arroyo-Morales, who was identified in surveillance video near the home in 2022, also reached a plea deal that dismissed murder charges before he received two 11-year sentences go two counts of voluntary manslaughter.

At the time of their death, authorities said the couple planned to kill Yanelly and her daughter, with the motive being jealousy and sibling rivalry.

Following the hearing, Yarelly’s defense, who spoke on her behalf, claimed Yanelly had threatened Yarelly’s young children, pushing her to commit the horrific crime.

“Yanelly used to threaten them, to drag them on the field, and Yarelly was very concerned about the safety of her children,” said defense attorney Curtis Sok. “I just want the public to understand that my client is very remorseful for what happened and she’s not such an evil, cold killer. This was done out of love for her children — for the safety of her children.”