A judge in Florida sentenced a man and his father to life in prison on Wednesday for brutally murdering and dismembering the younger man’s estranged wife amid a custody battle in 2019.
Jurors in April found Christopher Otero-Rivera and his father, Angel Luis Rivera, guilty of second-degree murder, abuse of a body and evidence tampering in the killing of Nicole Montalvo.
Montalvo, 35, disappeared on October 21, 2019, after dropping the couple’s 8-year-old son off at the Rivera home in St Cloud, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Investigators later found some of Montalvo’s remains at the home.
Otero-Rivera (left) and his father (right) were convicted in April of second-degree murder, abuse of a body and evidence tampering
Christopher Otero-Rivera (pictured in orange, right) and his father, Angel Luis Rivera (left) , on Wednesday were sentenced in Florida to life in prison, plus 20 years each, for the murder of Nicole Montalvo
Montalvo, 35, disappeared on October 21, 2019, after dropping the couple’s 8-year-old son off at the Rivera home in St Cloud, Florida
'I cannot ignore the brutality of your efforts to cover up that crime and the pain that it brought to the family as they desperately searched,' Judge Keith Carsten told the defendants on Wednesday, as reported by Orlando Sentinel.
The defense asked for a more lenient sentence of 23 years to life, but prosecutor Ryan Williams stressed argued for the harshest punishment possible.
'If this crime doesn’t deserve a life sentence, what does?' he asked.
Before the sentence was announced, Montalvo's family delivered emotional victim impact statements, describing the devastating impact of her murder on her loved ones.
Christina Montalvo, Nicole's sister, spoke first, telling the court her grieving process was 'never-ending.'
'When people ask me what happened to Nicole, I always said she passed away from an act of domestic violence,' Christina said. 'It physically pains me to say my sister was murdered by her estranged husband ... and his father.'
Nicole's twin brother, Edward Montalvo, said that he and his family were aware of the constant domestic abuse his sister was suffering and had previously begged her to leave Otero-Rivera, only for her 'to be butchered and discarded like she never mattered,' reported ClickOrlando.
Family members of the victim are seen hugging after hearing the guilty verdicts in April
On Wednesday, members of Montalvo's family told reporters that 'justice was served'
A juror was dismissed for snoozing during the Florida murder trial of a man and his father accused of dismembering the man's wife.
The alleged crime is shocking, but it was not enough to hold the attention of Juror 16, who fell asleep multiple times.
ClickOrlando reported that the juror was dismissed Tuesday before the day's proceedings. The juror was replaced by an alternate who hadn't been struggling to stay awake in court.
Christopher Otero-Rivera (left) and Angel Rivera (right) are accused of second-degree murder
Christopher Otero-Rivera, 33, and his father, Angel Rivera, 64, are charged with second-degree murder in the 2019 death of Nicole Montalvo, 35, of St. Cloud.
They also are charged with abuse of a body and evidence tampering. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Montalvo disappeared on October 21, 2019, after she dropped her 8-year-old son off at the Rivera household.
Montalvo was found four days after she was reported missing on a property owned by the Riveras. Her remains were dismembered.
Her body had been burned and mutilated, and the body parts were buried in different areas.
Otero-Rivera and Montalvo shared a son, but were separated at the time of Montalvo's death.
Monday brought more witness testimony in the trial, including from Christopher's mother and Angel's wife,
