In a move bringing a harrowing case to its conclusion, Sonoma County courts sentenced Adrian Cervantes-Alvarez to life in prison for the violent assault on the mother of his children. According to the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office, Cervantes-Alvarez, 38, of Santa Rosa, received the life sentence on May 6, following a jury conviction back in February.
Having faced the court for his heinous act, which transpired on August 4, 2020, Cervantes-Alvarez was found to have attacked his children's mother with a pair of grooming scissors. This incident unfolded in her car amidst the gaze of their horrified children. The brutal assault, which involved stabbing her in the neck multiple times, only ceased when a neighbor thankfully stepped in, prompting Cervantes-Alvarez to flee the scene, the DA's office reported.
The jury convicted the Santa Rosa man of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and injury to a co-parent, with the additional finding that Cervantes-Alvarez personally used a deadly weapon during the crime. The perpetrator's past was marred by two prior convictions, "He falls clearly within the spirit of the Three Strikes Law," said District Attorney Rodriguez in a statement, denoting Cervantes-Alvarez's history of violence and setting the stage for a life sentence.
Judge Troye Shaffer, serving Justice, invoked the Three Strikes Law to impose the maximum sentence possible on Cervantes-Alvarez. Alongside the life sentence, a 10-year Criminal Protective Order was issued, the longest term allowed by law. Deputy District Attorney Scott Uemura prosecuted the case with assistance from District Attorney Investigator Robyn Fuentes, with the Santa Rosa Police Department Domestic Violence unit leading the rigorous investigation that brought Cervantes-Alvarez to account.
