WEATHER ALERT
Convicted killer Angel Rivera dies in prison from COVID complications, family says
Read full article: Convicted killer Angel Rivera dies in prison from COVID complications, family saysOne of two men sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Nicole Montalvo has died in prison due to complications of COVID-19, according to his family.
Report: Angel Rivera rescinds request for new attorney ahead of trial in Nicole Montalvo’s slaying
Read full article: Report: Angel Rivera rescinds request for new attorney ahead of trial in Nicole Montalvo’s slayingAngel Rivera, one of the two men accused of killing and dismembering Nicole Montalvo, is asking for a new defense attorney, according to court records.
Father, son accused of murdering St. Cloud woman appear in court
Read full article: Father, son accused of murdering St. Cloud woman appear in courtCloud woman were back in court Friday morning following several motions filed ahead of the trial. A motion hearing is scheduled for Christopher Otero-Rivera and his father Angel Rivera, both of whom are facing murder charges in the death of Otero-Rivera’s estranged wife, Nicole Montalvo. The state also filled a motion to exclude evidence of Montalvo’s request to modify a temporary injunction against Otero-Rivera. The judge denied a motion to exclude evidence that either defendant had a firearm or other weapon, another motion will be revisited. AdThe father and son are due back in court March 23 for a pre-trial hearing at 9 a.m.
Nicole Montalvo’s accused killers offered man money to ‘discredit,’ ‘make her disappear’
Read full article: Nicole Montalvo’s accused killers offered man money to ‘discredit,’ ‘make her disappear’Otero-Rivera’s father, Angel Rivera, 64, was also arrested and charged in connection with Montalvo’s death. “He wanted to discredit her, for I guess, her testimony,” the man told detectives, adding Otero-Rivera wanted the mother of his child to be “looked at like a junkie.”The man told Otero-Rivera he would plant drugs in Montalvo’s car and then alert authorities in an attempt to discredit her. Upon posting bail, he also told Angel Rivera of his plan, according to the interview. He told me where she lived at and asked if I knew the color of her car,” the man told detectives of Rivera. Both Angel Rivera and Otero-Rivera are in the Osceola County Jail awaiting trial set to begin in September.
Trial in murder of Osceola County mother Nicole Montalvo postponed
Read full article: Trial in murder of Osceola County mother Nicole Montalvo postponedOSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The trial of three family members charged in connection with the murder of an Osceola County mother has been postponed. According to court records, the trial of Christopher Otero-Rivera, his father, Angel Rivera, and his mother, Wanda Rivera, has been delayed until September 29. The trial was originally scheduled to begin August 24 in Osceola County. Otero-Rivera and Angel Rivera have been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Nicole Montalvo. Wanda Rivera has been charged with being an accessory, evidence tampering and lying to law enforcement.
Estranged husband enters not guilty plea in murder of Nicole Montalvo
Read full article: Estranged husband enters not guilty plea in murder of Nicole MontalvoKISSIMMEE, Fla. – The estranged husband of Nicole Montalvo, a St. Cloud woman found slain last year in Osceola County, formally entered a plea Tuesday morning in court. Christopher Otero-Rivera, indicted by a grand jury last week, pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, abuse of a body and tampering with evidence. He pleaded not guilty to second degree murder, abuse of a dead body and tampering with evidence. Cloud woman | Sheriff pushes for murder charges to be filed in Osceola mother’s death]Montalvo’s remains were found in October on the property of the family’s home.
Estranged husband enters not guilty plea in murder of Nicole Montalvo
Read full article: Estranged husband enters not guilty plea in murder of Nicole MontalvoThe estranged husband of Nicole Montalvo, a St. Cloud woman found slain last year in Osceola County, formally entered a plea Tuesday morning in court. If you need help with the Public File, call 407-291-6000.
Murder suspects’ family member told detectives he saw St. Cloud mother’s motionless body
Read full article: Murder suspects’ family member told detectives he saw St. Cloud mother’s motionless bodyCloud woman told detectives he saw the victim’s lifeless body in his parent’s garage the night she went missing, according to a video of the interview with Osceola County Sheriff’s Office detectives. Otero-Rivera and his father, Angel Rivera, 63, were arrested in late October in connection with Montalvo’s murder but have not been charged with first-degree murder. In the early days of the investigation, Nicholas Rivera, 28, the son of Angel Rivera, was arrested on unrelated charges in Georgia. In the video, detectives describe a scene in the Otero-Rivera garage, they said Nicholas Rivera told them about in another interview. Angel Rivera and Nicholas Rivera both made statements in jailhouse phone calls and to detectives implicating Christopher Otero-Rivera.
‘Blame and lies:’ State attorney calls out Osceola sheriff amid Nicole Montalvo’s death investigation
Read full article: ‘Blame and lies:’ State attorney calls out Osceola sheriff amid Nicole Montalvo’s death investigationAngel Rivera and his son, Christoper Otero-Rivera, were arrested in October in connection with Nicole Montalvo’s death, but neither has been formally charged with murder. [Watch the state attorney’s full remarks at the top of this story]She said she received a call Thursday from the state office to ask if she needed help prosecuting this case. “My heart goes out to those who have been impacted by Nicole’s death," Ayala said. “From the beginning our goal is to bring justice to Nicole Montalvo, her family and the citizens of Osceola County. My office will continue to work to ensure justice for Nicole Montalvo, her family, and the citizens of Osceola County,” Gibson said.
Judge finds that Angel Rivera violated his conditions, revokes bond
Read full article: Judge finds that Angel Rivera violated his conditions, revokes bondProsecutors asked a judge to revoke bond for Rivera who is accused of playing a role in his daughter-in-law’s death. He told the court Angel Rivera pulled into the driveway of his home after being released on bond earlier this week. One of the conditions of his release was that Rivera is not allowed to return to the property where Nicole Montalvo’s remains were found. Judge says that, by his own admission, Rivera intended to return to his property and was seen directly adjacent to his property. Angel Rivera, his wife, Wanda Rivera, Otero-Rivera and Nicholas Rivera are all facing charges in the case.
Attorney for man accused in Osceola mother’s murder says investigators ‘don’t have the evidence’
Read full article: Attorney for man accused in Osceola mother’s murder says investigators ‘don’t have the evidence’ORLANDO, Fla. – One of the suspect’s in an Osceola County mother’s slaying is still in jail with a $350,000 bail. Attorney Frank Bankowitz says the judge set Rivera’s bond high to purposely keep him in jail because he believes prosecutors and Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson rushed to arrest him for his daughter-in-law’s murder. Rivera was first arrested on Oct. 29 on a murder charge in connection with Montalvo’s death. Judge Morgan couldn’t on the murder charge by law and since Judge Wooten has discretion quote-unquote, he set an unreasonable bond," Bankowitz said. Instead, he said the judge set his bail at $350,000.