On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at 10:43 PM, Santa Ana Police Communications received a report of a male stabbing victim who arrived at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital.
The victim reported he was stabbed in the area of Euclid Street and McFadden Avenue.
On July 13, 2023 at 1:00 AM, the victim, Javier Rivera (pictured above), 51, of Cathedral City, succumbed to his injuries at a local trauma center.
During the investigation, SAPD Homicide Detectives identified the motive for the stabbing as gang-related and the primary suspect as Ricky Rocha (19) of Santa Ana. On November 28, 2023, Rocha was taken into custody. The case was presented to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and a murder charge was filed against Rocha.
Rivera is survived by a son, Robert, and three daughers including Moni, Victoria and Viviana. His children were not able to say goodbye to him as he died during surgery after the knife attack by Rocha.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call SAPD Homicide Section Detectives at (714) 245-8390, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS. This case is eligible for the Gang Reward Program.