By F. Scott Faulkner
SANTA PAULA, CA — June 6, 2025
Shortly after 9 p.m. on May 31, Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies responded to multiple 911
calls reporting a possible homicide at a home in the rural area outside Santa Paula.
Deputies arrived to find the body of Carolyn Nino DeRivera, 24, inside the residence.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Detective Michael Marco, “evidence at the
scene confirmed she was the victim of a homicide.”
Detectives with the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau quickly identified Christian Hillairet, 26, of
Ojai, as “a person of interest.” Within hours, they learned Hillairet had crossed the border into
Mexico via the San Ysidro port of entry.
Working in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service,
and Mexican law enforcement, investigators located Hillairet on June 2 in Rosarito, Baja
California.
Two days later, a team of Ventura County Sheriff’s investigators traveled to San
Ysidro to take custody of Hillairet after Mexican authorities transferred him to U.S. officials.
Hillairet was returned to Ventura County and booked on June 5 on suspicion of murder under
Penal Code 187(a). He remains in custody on a no-bail hold.
