Unexpected Charge In Death Of Sacramento Child

Juan Rivera was arraigned on a murder charge Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court in the death of 6-year-old Jadianna Larsen.

The Sacramento Bee reports, that, in a new twist in the case, Rivera’s mother, Lisa Burton, was also named as a defendant.

The Sacramento District Attorney’s Office alleged a “blunt force instrument” was used in the death of Jadianna. the 46-year-old Burton faces a charge as an accessory after the fact. Prosecutors said she assisted in covering up the girl’s death.

Rivera stayed for extended periods of time as a guest of his girlfriend, Tanecia Clark, Jadianna’s mother, at an apartment complex in south Sacramento, the Bee reports. Clark was away for mental health treatment at the time of the killing, her family members said.

Rivera, 25, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of killing Jadianna and booked into Sacramento County Jail.

Jadianna’s burned body was found off a country road in Glenn County on Thursday. Rivera is being held without bail.