DeBary, Florida – A man has been found guilty of first-degree murder for fatally shooting his childhood friend inside a DeBary storage unit. Julio Cesar Rivera, 52, faces the possibility of the death penalty after being convicted of the killing.
Rivera shot 40-year-old Roberto Ovalle in the back of the head on December 8, 2019, inside a storage unit that had been converted into living space. The jury also found Rivera guilty of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
The trial is now entering the penalty phase, during which jurors will decide whether to recommend the death penalty for Rivera. If at least eight of the 12 jurors recommend death, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Blackburn will have the option of sentencing Rivera to death, or he will receive a mandatory life sentence if fewer than eight jurors vote for death.
This is not Rivera’s first murder conviction, as he had previously served 26 years in prison for killing a shopkeeper in New York. Rivera had been living in Ovalle’s storage unit, where the victim, a drug dealer, stored marijuana and heroin. Prosecutors alleged that Rivera felt disrespected and did not like staying with the drugs in the storage unit.
Ovalle’s girlfriend testified that on the night of the shooting, Rivera told them he had a “new toy” to show them. Rivera then walked behind Ovalle, and moments later, a gunshot was heard, causing Ovalle’s death.
After the shooting, Rivera allowed the girlfriend to drive back to Ovalle’s house, accompanied her, and then drove away. He was later arrested by deputies when he returned to the scene of the crime. Prosecutors also claimed that Rivera admitted to the shooting in a recorded jailhouse phone call.
At the time of the shooting, Rivera was wanted in New York on a probation violation.
The case of Julio Cesar Rivera highlights the tragic consequences of a long-standing conflict turned deadly, and it now rests in the hands of the jury to determine his fate.