Cerritos : Murder Suspect Enters Plea

A 25-year-old Cerritos man has pleaded not guilty to murder charges stemming from what authorities have described as the fatal beating of his girlfriend’s 16-month-old daughter last week. Dallas Rebello was arrested by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies after the infant, Jessica Burns, was pronounced dead at a Long Beach Hospital last Thursday.

The child’s mother, June Burns, 24, told authorities that she found Jessica unconscious that afternoon after returning from a shopping trip. Sheriff’s investigators say their investigation revealed that Rebello has a history of being physically abusive, but law enforcement sources say they do not believe any official child abuse complaints were ever filed in connection with Jessica.

Rebello, a maintenance worker, lived in his sister’s Bloomfield Avenue house with Burns, Jessica, his sister, Faith Michaels Rizzotto, and her daughter. Rizzotto ran unsuccessfully for a City Council seat earlier this year. Rebello, who is being held without bail, is not Jessica’s father. A preliminary hearing is scheduled in the case for July 19 in Municipal Court in Bellflower.