RIVERSIDE – An over year-long murder investigation led to the arrest of a Riverside woman officials said. On November 26, 2015, police responded to Kansas Avenue and 12th Street in the City of Riverside regarding a man down on the road. When police arrived they found 27-year-old Giovanni Rodriguez, of Corona, deceased at the intersection. Through investigation, authorities learned that 44-year-old Dimantria James, of Riverside, kidnapped and robbed Rodriguez of his cell phone.
His cause of death was determined to be a result of head trauma from a fall caused by James driving the vehicle at high speeds. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office charged James, who was already in custody for an unrelated kidnapping and robbery, with murder, kidnapping, and robbery on December 7, 2016. If anyone has information regarding this investigation, please contact Detective Jim Simons at (951) 353-7138 or Detective Adrian Tillett at (951) 353-7105.
