Young Love, Sexual Abuse, Death - The Story Of Trino Y Jenni
Despite being young lovers, the marriage of Trino y Jenni seemed to be strong at first. Tragically, it took a dark turn marred by betrayal and sexual abuse.
Author:James PierceReviewer:Emily SanchezOct 16, 2023467 Shares93.4K Views
The tragic story of Trino y Jenniwas so heart-wrenching that it continues to captivate the public up to this day.
Once filled with promise and passion, the union of Trino Marin and singer Jenni Rivera (1969-2012)descended into a devastating journey, leaving behind a trail of shattered dreams and broken hearts.
But as with many passionate love affairs, the cracks in their relationship began to show. It slowly eroded a foundation of what once seemed unbreakable.
The world watched in sorrow as the love story of Trino y Jenni unraveled before their very eyes, leaving behind a trail of scandal, tears, and some unanswered questions.
Jenni Rivera And Trino Young
In his book Ask Mafia: Armor of The World (2023), Indian neuroscientist, poet, and best-selling author Abhijit Naskar wrote:
“„Painless love is puppy love. Adult love is a circle of joyful disasters.- Abhijit Naskar
Theirs - on how the relationship Trino y Jenni started and blossomed - could be a puppy love. Perhaps at least on the part of the girl.
Long before Jenni Rivera achieved 15 gold records and 15 platinum records, at 15 years old, she already carried a human being in her womb.
Why? Love. That’s the reason.
A 14-year-old Jenni Rivera, according to HuffPost, fell in love with another teenager named Trino Marin - but he’s five years her senior. Apparently, she didn’t mind.
Given the curiousness of teens, not to mention their recklessness, their relationship reached an intimate physical level that made Trino y Jenni a 21-year-old father and a teenage mom, respectively.
On June 26, 1985, just five days before she turned sweet 16, Jenni Rivera gave birth to her first-born child. The first-time mom was only a second-year student at Long Beach Polytechnic High School.
Trino y Jenni named their daughter Janney, which also happens to be the singer’s birth name.
In a 2002 interview, per HuffPost, Jenni Rivera revealed that upon discovering her pregnancy, her parents asked her to leave the house.
Pedro and Rosa Saavedra-Rivera must be so devastated that they kicked their third child out. After all, they didn’t take the risk to travel from Mexico to the U.S. as illegal immigrants just for something like that to happen.
In a December 2012 Los Angeles Times article, Jenni Rivera said that she nearly gave in to the thought that she should quit school and just focus on motherhood.
She shared:
“„I thought that’s what I had to do, but my counselors told me there was no way they would let me drop out. I had too much promise.- Jenni Rivera
Indeed, she did: a promising music career and promising business ventures.
Well, even as a high school student, she’s already promising. According to an article by California Community Colleges, Jenni Rivera graduated valedictorian.
But before her journey to stardom and wealth - heck, even before she earned a high school diploma - Trino y Jenni got married in 1984.
Was it a “happily ever after” for them?
Or as they navigated adulthood, did they both end up running in, as Naskar said, “a circle of joyful disasters?”
Jenni Rivera And Trino Marin
Jenni Rivera was born on July 2, 1969 in Long Beach, California, and grew up there.
According to Jenni Rivera: The Incredible Story of a Warrior Butterfly (2013)by Colombian journalist and writer Leila Cobo, this is the name that appears on her baptismal certificate: Dolores Janney Rivera Saavedra.
Saavedra is her mother’s maiden family name. Growing up in the U.S., “Janney” eventually became “Jenni.”
Cobo wrote that her Spanish name “Dolores” means “one who suffers pain in remembering the pain the Virgin Mary suffered because of the death of Her Son [Jesus].”
Pain and suffering were the things immediately associated with the married life of Trino y Jenni.
Jenni Rivera has two older siblings:
a. Pedro “Pete” Rivera Jr. (born 1964)
- a singer
- a senior pastor at Iglesia Primer Amor in California
b. Gustavo “Lawrence” Rivera (born 1966)
- a singer
- survived a car accident in 2020
Her three younger siblings:
a. Guadalupe “Lupillo” Rivera (born 1972)
- a Grammy-winning musician
- former coach at La Voz(part of the The Voicefranchise)
b. Juan Rivera (1978)
- a singer and songwriter
- appeared on movies
c. Rosa Amelia “Rosie” Rivera-Flores (born 1981)
- co-host of the podcast BROmeando
- former CEO of Jenni Rivera Enterprises
Rosa Saavedra, almost decided to abort Jenni Rivera. Her mother was pregnant with her while crossing the border with her father, Pedro, reported HuffPost.
There would be no Trino y Jenni if her mother pushed through with it, and there’d be one less major contributor to the flourishing of Regional Mexican music.
In 2011, the year her parents divorced, Jenni Rivera disclosed to Billboard:
“„Mexican music runs through my veins. Growing up, my father didn’t allow us to listen to English music at home. That’s all I heard.- Jenni Rivera
The coastal city of Long Beach holds a lot of memories for Trino y Jenni, where the former was also born and raised.
Jose Trinidad “Trino” Marinwas born on February 15, 1964.
Little is known about him since he isn’t a celebrity, and the public only recognizes him as Jenni Rivera’s former husband.
Several sites say that he used to work in a restaurant in an administrative role. The pieces of information differ (mostly mentioned job position: manager; other places of work mentioned: bistro and café).
Aside from their first-born Janney, Trino y Jenni have two more children:
- Jacqueline Melina Marin Rivera-Campos, aka Jacqie Rivera (born November 20, 1989), a singer and entrepreneur
- Michael Marin Rivera (born September 11, 1991), a mural artist
Janney Marin Rivera is more known publicly as Chiquis Rivera. Aside from being a singer, she became a TV personality via these reality shows:
- Chiquis ‘n Control (2012)
- I Love Jenni (2011)
- Jenni Rivera Presents: Chiquis & Raq-C (2010)
In 2014, Chiquis Rivera starred in the Web series Chiquis Confidential, with Toyota as major sponsor, according to Billboard.
However, before she made a name for herself - when she was still only known as Janney in the Trino y Jenni household - some horrible things happened.
During those times, Chiquis Rivera wasn’t yet in control. She also thought all that took place, she could keep confidential forever.
It didn’t and they all became a part of the tragic marriage of Jenni Rivera and Trino Marin.
Jenni Rivera experienced physical abuse from Trino Marin, reported CNN. He also desired that she abandon her plan of going to college and remain a housewife doing the “cooking and cleaning,” according to her own revelation.
Given this disastrous turn of events in their married life, it looked like Trino y Jenni were heading for divorce. Perhaps for the sake of their three children, she tried to endure the abuse.
However, something more terrible happened - nothing short of monstrous, to say the least - that put the final nail in the coffin: Trino Marin molested his very own daughter, Chiquis Rivera.
Not only that, he also molested his sister-in-law, Rosie Rivera, the youngest among the Rivera siblings.
In her interview with Puerto Rican broadcaster and journalist Maria Celeste Arraras for the news program Al Rojo Vivo, Chiquis Rivera divulged that she was eight when Trino Marin sexually abused her, according to MamasLatinas.com.
She said (translated to English by the said site):
“„My father took advantage of my silence and became more and more aggressive. The abuse each time became longer and longer, full of fear and shame for me.- Chiquis Rivera
Jenni Rivera’s eldest child added:
“„I only remember that I’d close my eyes and tense my arms, thinking that if I didn’t resist, he’d let me go faster.- Chiquis Rivera
To cut a long, devastating story short, Trino y Jenni divorced in 1992.
Where Is Trino Marin Now?
Jenni Rivera’s first ex-husband and convicted sex offender Trino Marin, who turned 59 in 2023, is currently serving in jail.
Long Beach newspaper Press-Telegram reported that the court charged him in 1997.
However, Trino Marin turned fugitive and evaded arrest for approximately nine years.
Then in April 2006, according to Univision, Rosie Rivera saw his brother-in-law in a restaurant. The incident eventually led to his arrest.
On June 22, 2006, a case was filed at Superior Court of California against Trino Marin. Based on a court document obtained by Spanish TV showCotorreando, his alleged offenses were:
- five counts of aggravated sexual assault on a child
- three counts of “lewd acts with child under 14”
- one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child
In October 2006, per Univision, he posted bail to the tune of $1 million.
On May 9, 2007, Trino y Jenni met at Long Beach Superior Court, with him clad in a jail uniform, reported Press-Telegram. It was there where the then-43-year-old Trino Marin received his sentence.
The court found him guilty of eight counts of felony:
- “three counts of lewd acts upon a child”
- “three counts of oral copulation of a child”
- “one count of aggravated sexual assault”
Judge Joan Comparet-Cassani of the Los Angeles County Superior Court sentenced him to 31 years in prison.
At the courtroom, when asked if he wanted to say anything to any of his family members, Trino Marin declined.
Richard Poland, his criminal defense lawyer, asked the court for another trial because for him, his client was “an innocent man.”
That’s what the Marin family thought so, too.
In a 2015 Fox News interview, Chiquis Rivera said that her paternal relatives think that her mother, Jenni Rivera, merely made her believe that his father, Trino Marin, abused her.
Still, after everything that happened, the eldest of Trino y Jenni showed a great deal of compassion by forgiving his father.
Chiquis Rivera, however, told Fox News that she won’t rekindle her relationship with him.
On the contrary, her younger sister made a different decision that might prove to be unpopular for the Rivera clan.
Jacqie Rivera visited Trino Marin in 2016 after an estimated 18 years of not seeing him.
She uploaded a picture of their reunion on Instagram in June 2017 along with a lengthy post, which she ended with the following hashtags:
- #MariposaDeBarrio
- #restoration
- #forgiveness
- #transformationtuesday
It has already received over 26,000 likes.
The unfortunate love story of Trino y Jenni was made into a telenovela (drama series) titled Jenni Rivera: Mariposa de Barrio (2017).
The Spanish title roughly translates to “Barrio Butterfly,” with actress-model Angelica Celaya and Tony Garzaas Jenni Rivera and Trino Marin, respectively.
IMDb says it’s based on the singer’s book Unbreakable: My Story, My Way (2013). Per The Hollywood Reporter, it reached number 12 on Amazon upon its release, with the Spanish version at number 2 on the list of its best-selling books.
In August 2021, entertainment TV show El Gordo y La Flacaaired an interview with Trino Marin’s brother, according to MamasLatinas.com.
He said that Trino’s doing fine and spending a lot of time reading the Bible.
What Happened To Jenni Rivera?
After Trino y Jenni split up, she accomplished a lot as a singer, an entrepreneur, and as an individual member of society.
As she said in one press conference and quoted by Biography:
“„I am a woman like any other, and ugly things happen to me like any other woman. The number of times I have fallen down is the number of times I have gotten up.- Jenni Rivera
Jenni Rivera proceeded with her college plans and succeeded.
She initially enrolled at Long Beach City College, according to that article by California Community Colleges. Then she transferred to California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), where she completed a business administration degree.
As a single mom, she worked in real estate. To make ends meet, she moonlighted at her father’s business, CNN reported.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Pedro Rivera, a former bartender, founded a record label he called Cintas Acuario in Long Beach, California, in 1987.
Her time at Cintas Acuario paved the way to her music career.
EMI Latin (now Capitol Latin) offered her a contract. In 1995, Jenni Rivera released her debut album Chacalosa. By 1999, she was with Fonovisa Records.
Per Discogs, she released 31 albums and 14 singles and EPs (extended play) in her lifetime.
At the 2013 Billboard Latin Awards, she went home with six accolades, including:
- Artist of the Year
- Latin Pop Album of the Year, for her compilation album La Misma Gran Señora(The Same Great Lady)
Antonia Garcia-Orozco, Ph.D., or simply Dr. Toni, an associate professor in Chicano and Latino Studies at CSULB, have this to say about Jenni Rivera:
“„She was first known as ‘la diva de la banda;’the diva of bandamusic, which is a big ensemble. Lots of brass, trumpets, tubas, so forth. Very fun music, very loud, very lively.- Antonia Garcia-Orozco
The said statement was quoted from a CSULB article published in October 2021. At the 2021 National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15), Jenni Rivera’s alma mater honored her memory and legacy.
Who would’ve thought that after Trino y Jenni got a divorce, she would achieve stardom - and more.
The entrepreneurial side of Jenni Rivera (a graduate of business administration, remember?) can be seen through Jenni Rivera Enterprises, Inc., her Los Angeles-based entertainment agency.
Her fragrance line:
- Jenni by Jenni Rivera
- Forever
- Mariposa
- JR
- El Cologne (for men)
- El Sport (for men)
A former victim of domestic violence, herself, Jenni Rivera accepted her role as spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) in 2010.
She also established the Jenni Rivera Love Foundation. This nonprofit organization helps women particularly mothers in terms of employment, shelter, and counseling, among other things.
On a personal note, after Trino y Jenni went their separate ways, she married again - twice:
- Juan Lopez (marriage: 1997-2003), died in prison in 2009
- Esteban Loaiza (2010-2012), a retired Major League Baseball player
Jenni Rivera Plane Crash
It’s not only the marriage of Trino that ended but her life as well.
On December 9, 2012, a plane crashclaimed the life of Jenni Rivera, leaving behind a legacy of music and a void in the lives of those who loved her.
She was 43.
She and her entourage were in Mexico. They boarded a Learjet 25 in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, after a concert and were headed to Toluca for another singing engagement.
It crashed into a mountainside near the municipality of Iturbide in Nuevo Leon.
When she died, several not only expressed their disbelief and sadness, they also praised her for her contributions to the music industry.
One of them was incumbent Insurance Commissioner of California Ricardo Lara, whose parents, like Rivera’s, once crossed the border from Mexico to the U.S.
Lara said this while still serving as California state senator, as quoted by an article from California Community Colleges:
“„Her passionate songs of perseverance inspired millions and brought a renewed interest and respect for her interpretations of Mexican regional music to the United States.- Ricardo Lara
Jenni Rivera was laid to rest in All Soul’s Cemetery in Long Beach on December 31, 2012.
Trino Y Jenni - People Also Ask
Why Did Jenni Fight Chiquis?
Per Billboard, Jenni Rivera alleged that her daughter, Chiquis Rivera, was having an affair with her stepdad, Esteban Loaiza. He’s Jenni’s third and last husband.
Did Jenni Rivera Ever Forgive Chiquis?
Jenni Rivera passed away without reconciling with her daughter.
On the part of Chiquis Rivera, according to Billboard, she forgave her mother for accusing and doubting her.
Who Else Was With Jenni Rivera When She Died?
Aside from Alessandro Torres Alvarez and Miguel Perez Soto, the two pilots, Jenni Rivera’s co-passengers in that ill-fated flight were:
| Name | Occupation |
| Mario Macias Pacheco | lawyer |
| Arturo Rivera Ruiz | public relations specialist |
| Jorge Armando Sanchez | hairdresser |
| Jacob Yebale | makeup artist |
Final Thoughts
The story of Trino y Jenni is a poignant reminder that even the most passionate of love stories can be marred by pain and tragedy.
They once shared an intense, roller-coaster romance that seemed destined for greatness.
Alas! Her relationship with Trino Marin now only serves as a cautionary tale about the fragility of love and the human heart.
Amidst the glitz and glamor of the spotlight, the marriage of Trino y Jenni became a tumultuous battleground where neither of them came out unscarred.
James Pierce
Author
Emily Sanchez
Reviewer
Latest Articles
Popular Articles