A mother from Las Vegas has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a federal judge after admitting to the drowning deaths of her two children in bathtubs in 2021.
Jovan Trevino, aged 38, expressed remorse during her sentencing, claiming she was not in her “right mind” when the tragic events occurred. In July 2021, Henderson, Nevada police discovered the bodies of her children, Christopher Fox, 4, and Gihanna Fox, 1, in their home.
“On Monday, July 19, 2021, my babies’ innocent, precious lives were taken by their mommy,” Trevino stated to District Judge Carli Kierny, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“I was truly not in the right mind, in the darkest place I’ve ever been, which is evidenced by the horrific crime I committed,” she continued.
After admitting guilt to two first-degree murder charges, one for each of her children, Trevino blew a kiss to her brothers while being escorted from the courtroom at the Regional Justice Center on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Photo credit: Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
When delivering the life sentence, Judge Kierny shared a message with Trevino.
“I know that as you live out the rest of your life in a jail cell, you’ll probably see them at night, you’ll think of them,” she said. “That’s really the only tribute left that you can give them at this point.”
Kierny added: “I will remember your case forever.”
A sign for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department outside the headquarters in Las Vegas Oct. 4, 2025. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani called the murders an “unforgivable crime.”
“This is one of the most extreme cases of matricide that I’ve seen in my 15-year career,” Giordani said during proceedings.
Police said that Trevino told officers that she had drugged herself with a sleeping aid and alcohol before carrying out the murders.
The children’s father, Christopher Fox, and their grandmother, Shawna Fox, also testified before the court prior to Trevino’s sentencing.
“The cruelty of what you did by leaving them floating dead in their bathtubs for their daddy to find them when he got home from work is unthinkable,” Shawna Fox said.
“I just want the courts to remember my kids as joyous loving children. Nothing else,” Christopher Fox said.
