Sergio Rivas Sentenced for 2025 Fiesta Stabbing in Downtown Santa Barbara

More than a year after a late-night stabbing during Old Spanish Days Fiesta left one man dead and shook downtown Santa Barbara, one of the three original suspects has been formally sentenced to prison. Sergio Rivas, 31, was sentenced to 11 years in state prison after pleading guilty to assault with a deadly weapon with force likely to cause great bodily injury and possession of a controlled substance while armed, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.

Rivas was sentenced in August and, per state records cited by the Independent, is currently in custody at Wasco State Prison. He will be eligible for parole in March 2033.

The Night of the Stabbing

The incident occurred shortly after midnight on August 1, 2025, on the crowded 500 block of State Street, outside Baja Sharkeez — an area that regularly draws large Fiesta crowds. Police responding to the scene found three men with stab wounds, one of whom was lying on the ground. Despite life-saving efforts by first responders, 30-year-old Anthony Michael Bisquera Hartley succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, his family told the Independent last year.

Also injured in the melee were Rivas himself and a second man identified in court proceedings only as J. Ramos. Three suspects were ultimately identified in connection with the stabbing: Rivas, Luis Gerardo Terrazas, 29, and Juan Fernando Rios, 28.

Murder Charges Dropped After Video Emerged

The case took a dramatic turn that made it one of the more closely watched criminal proceedings in Santa Barbara County in recent years. Rivas and Rios were originally charged with Bisquera Hartley's murder, with special allegations that the crime was committed to benefit a criminal street gang and involved personal use of a knife. Prosecutors alleged Rivas delivered the fatal stab to Bisquera Hartley's chest, piercing his heart.

But the District Attorney's Office later dropped the murder charges after a video came to light that, according to prosecutors, showed Bisquera Hartley was armed with a knife and initiated the fight. Prosecutors said Rios and Rivas acted in self-defense, and all gang allegations were dismissed.

The dismissal drew a sharp response from the victim's family, who had been outspoken in their grief throughout the proceedings. They described Bisquera Hartley as an "easy-going" and devout father of three, and said they were "outraged" by the DA's decision.

Even with the murder charges dropped, Rivas still faced serious counts, including assault with a deadly weapon against the separate victim, J. Ramos, with a special allegation of causing great bodily injury, along with multiple firearm-related charges. The assault charges to which he pleaded guilty stem from the August 1 stabbing, while the possession allegations relate to his arrest on August 2. His guilty plea also included two enhancements: a second strike allegation and causing great bodily injury.

Diverging Fates for the Co-Defendants

The outcomes for the three original suspects have diverged sharply. Rios had all allegations connected to Bisquera Hartley's death dismissed entirely. After the dismissal, he faced only charges stemming from a separate July arrest — driving under the influence and possessing a loaded firearm.

Terrazas, the third suspect, saw attempted murder and gang-related charges dismissed as well. He still faced charges related to the stabbing of Rivas, to which he pleaded not guilty, and was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 9. But Terrazas never appeared in court on those charges: he was shot and killed at Bohnett Park on Santa Barbara's Westside on February 20, after having posted $150,000 bail and been released from custody.

The District Attorney's Office filed charges against three people in connection with Terrazas's death: Jimmy Alexander Mora Jr., 18, and Jorge Angel Hurtado, 19, both of Ventura County, along with a juvenile whose name was not released. Because Mora and the unnamed juvenile were under 18 at the time of the killing, both are being tried in Santa Barbara Juvenile Court. Hurtado has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear October 28 for a preliminary hearing.

What Comes Next

For Santa Barbara residents, the sentencing closes a chapter on a case that reverberated far beyond a single night of violence. The stabbing occurred during Fiesta, the city's signature summer celebration, when State Street is at its most crowded — raising longstanding questions about alcohol, late-night activity, and public safety in the downtown corridor that city leaders have debated for years.

The resolution also illustrates the outsized role that video evidence now plays in violent-crime prosecutions, and the tension that can arise between prosecutorial discretion and victims' families. The DA's decision to characterize the fatal stabbing as self-defense — while still pursuing assault charges tied to a second victim — left Bisquera Hartley's family publicly at odds with the office handling the case.

Legal proceedings tied to the incident are not entirely over. Hurtado's October 28 preliminary hearing in the Terrazas murder case, and the ongoing juvenile proceedings against Mora and the unnamed minor, mean the chain of events that began on State Street in the early hours of August 1, 2025 — and continued with the Bohnett Park shooting in February — will continue to move through the Santa Barbara County courts in the months ahead.