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Christopher Otero-Rivera -
Angel Rivera
The trial lasted more two weeks, but it only took the jury 90 minutes to find Nicole Montalvo’s estranged husband and father-in-law guilty of killing the St. Cloud mother.
Angela Rivera, 66, and Christopher Otero-Rivera, 33, were convicted of second-degree murder, abuse of a body and evidence tampering. Prosecutors said the men killed Montalvo because they wanted full custody of the 8-year-old son Montalvo shared with Otero-Rivera. The men then mutilated her body and buried it on their property in rural St. Cloud to hide the evidence.
Prosecutors called dozens of witnesses including forensic investigators who testified about the gruesome details of Montalvo’s demise.
Defense attorneys only called Wanda Rivera, the family matriarch, to testify. She swore that she didn’t know anything and didn’t see any bloody clothes or other evidence suggesting a grisly murder had taken place at her home. She was arrested as an accomplice to the murder, but the charges were dropped last month because prosecutors didn’t believe there was enough evidence to convict her.
The father and son were being tried together, but were represented by different attorneys.
Otero-Rivera’s attorney argued there was no direct evidence linking her client to his wife’s death and that Angel Rivera was controlling.
“The most compelling evidence is on Angel Rivera,” Migdalia Perez said in her closing statements.
“You know what he’s guilty of? Being gullible, vulnerable and manipulated by the master of the house,” Perez said.
Conversely, Angel Rivera’s attorney argued that his client’s son had the most to gain from Montalvo’s death.
“Christopher Otero-Rivera stood to gain substantially because he’s the father of the child... If she’s dead, he gets custody all to himself, attorney Frank Bankowitz said.
But the six-member jury apparently didn’t buy it.
Montalvo’s family wept as the verdict was read. The father and son didn’t react at all.
“At the end of the day, no matter the verdict, when we go home Nicole won’t be there,” her brother, Steven Montalvo, said later on the steps of the Osceola County Courthouse. “We’re going to bear this burden and pain for the rest of our lives.”
“It may not be full justice...but there is accountability for her death,” he said standing before a crowd of reporters covering the trial.
“We want to thank the court for their swift action of justice in reaching this verdict,” said Montalvo’s twin brother, Eddie Montalvo.
While justice was served today...Nicole is still gone; a son has still lost his mother, he said. He also gave a word of thanks to those who stood by the family since Montalvo went missing on Oct. 21 2019.
“We could not have done this without the community support, without you being there next to us and helping us in our grievance,” he said.
“I do want to say to anyone else who may be suffering domestic violence, especially in the midst of the pandemic, where it has been harder and worse, especially for women, just know that there is help and there are people who will continue to fight for you.”
When Montalvo was killed she was in the process of divorcing Otero-Rivera, who had been court-ordered to stay away from her. Just one year before she went missing, in Oct. 2018, Otero-Rivera went to jail for a violent incident during which he forced his wife to drive to a remote location and then attacked her with the help of St. Cloud resident Toni Rocker.
According to the arrest affidavit, Otero-Rivera slapped Montalvo repeatedly, threw her to the ground, tried to gag her, robbed her and then tried to break her neck before letting her go.
While deputies were interviewing Montalvo, St. Cloud police found Otero-Rivera and local resident Toni Rocker together in a car around the corner from Montalvo’s home.
Otero-Rivera later pleaded no contest to hindering a witness’ ability to communicate with law enforcement, unlawful possession of a credit or debit card and battery. Charges of kidnapping, robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon were dropped in the deal.
