Rohnert Park Man Sentenced to Life Without The Possibility Of Parole For Torture, Kidnap For Financial Gain, And Sexual Abuse Of A Child

Jose Centeno, 57, of Rohnert Park, was sentenced today by the Honorable Troye Shaffer to six consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, three consecutive life sentences, and an additional 39 years in the California Department of Corrections. Today’s sentence was imposed after a jury found Centeno guilty in July of three counts of kidnapping for financial gain, three counts of torture, and nine counts involving the sexual abuse of a child.

District Attorney Carla Rodriguez stated: "While appropriate that Mr. Centeno will be spending the rest of his life in prison, our two brave victims are still missing their sister Kaya. Though justice has absolutely been served in this case, Kaya will always be in our thoughts."

In 2006, Jose and Gina Centeno adopted three young siblings who were only 2, 3, and 4 years old. In 2010 all three children were enrolled at John Reed Elementary School. However, following a report to CPS by a staff member at the school regarding suspicion of physical abuse, the Centenos pulled all three children from school. Soon thereafter, the Centenos hid the three children in captivity. The Centenos told their extended family that the children had been given back to the state and were no longer living in the home. By 2012, other closer family members in the Rohnert Park area had stopped seeing the oldest of the three children, Kaya, and were told Kaya had been sent away. When family also stopped seeing the other two children, they were told all the kids had been “sent away.” As the years went by and the Centenos made new friends, their new friends never knew Jose and Gina Centeno had custody of the three adopted children.

Although the Centenos hid the existence of the three adopted children from family, friends, and neighbors, they continued to tell the state Adoption Assistance Program that all three kids were still in their home. As a result, the Centenos received hundreds of dollars from the state each month until their crimes against the three children were discovered in 2020.

While the Centenos hid the existence of the three adopted children, the kids were actually still in the home, locked in an upstairs bedroom. The window to that room was boarded up and the children were chained to their beds. During the isolation and abuse, the oldest of the siblings, Kaya, lost consciousness. Kaya’s siblings were told she had been sent away, and they never saw or heard from her again. For one of the two remaining children, the only time she would leave the room was when Jose Centeno would unchain her, take her to another room in the house, and sexually assault her. That sexual abuse continued for years.

In late 2018 or early 2019, Jose Centeno took the two remaining children to Mexico, where he left them with family. After Centeno left the children in Mexico, the children started to tell people what had happened to them in Rohnert Park. In July of 2020, Mexico Child Protective Services alerted Sonoma County Child Protective Services about the reports of abuse. Following that report, the children were brought back to California, and a criminal investigation began, which led to the arrests of Jose Centeno and Gina Centeno in August 2020. Gina Centeno was charged in this case as well, but she passed away prior to the commencement of the trial.

Testimony in the jury trial began in June of 2024. After five weeks of testimony from more than forty witnesses, the jury deliberated for two and a half days before finding Jose Centeno guilty of every charge he faced. 

On August 27, 2024, the Honorable Troye Shaffer, who presided over the jury trial, sentenced Jose Centeno to the maximum potential sentence he faced for the charges. Judge Shaffer noted that in her 24 years in the criminal justice system she had never seen a case like this one. She told the victims who were in Court that she acknowledged and respected their bravery and will always remember what they testified to in Court. Judge Shaffer said that two of the victims had been able to bravely come forward and report what had happened. But one of the victims was not; Kaya has not been found, and although Kaya was not able to speak, the jurors did, with their verdict. Centeno will now be imprisoned in the California Department of Corrections for six consecutive sentences of life without the possibility of parole, three life sentences, and an additional 39 years.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ashley W. Hendon, assisted by District Attorney Investigator Gregory Wojcik. Sergeant Justin Wax of the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety headed the investigation.

Below is a link to Kaya Centeno’s missing person page on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Based on witness statements, the best estimate as to when she disappeared is sometime in 2012. She was 10 years old. If anyone has any information to provide, please contact the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety at (707) 584-2630.

https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1399066/1

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