RIVERSIDE — A 27-year-old Moreno Valley woman who fatally stabbed her ex-boyfriend during an argument in his car pleaded guilty Monday to voluntary manslaughter and a dozen other charges.
Brittany Yvonne Juarez admitted the manslaughter count, along with three counts each of false imprisonment and vandalism, two counts each of domestic violence and carrying a concealed weapon and one count of assault resulting in great bodily injury and stalking.
A murder charge was dismissed under the plea agreement, which was announced after Juarez’s case was called for trial at the Riverside Hall of Justice Monday.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Joshlyn Pulliam scheduled a sentencing hearing for Dec 5. The term of imprisonment specified under the bargain was not disclosed.
Juarez is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
She killed 25-year-old Robert Emilio Minjares of Moreno Valley on June 8, 2021.
According to the Riverside Police Department, Juarez and Minjares were involved in a heated exchange as they sat in his car in the 2000 block of Alessandro Boulevard, near Mission Grove Parkway, about 3 a.m. that day.
“At some point during the argument, she produced a knife and stabbed him in the chest,” police spokesman Officer Javier Cabrera said.
He said Juarez then got behind the wheel of the vehicle and drove the victim to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley, where he died minutes later.
The defendant remained at the hospital, where staff called 911. Responding sheriff’s deputies turned the investigation over to Riverside police detectives after confirming that the stabbing had happened in the city, according to Cabrera.
Juarez was taken into custody without incident.
The reason for the argument between the defendant and Minjares was not disclosed, and it was unclear how long they had been together before splitting up.
