A 52-year-old convicted murderer has been sentenced to death in connection with the fatal shooting of his childhood friend in 2019.
On Thursday, July 11, Volusia County Judge Elizabeth Blackburn sentenced Julio Rivera to death for the brutal murder of his friend, Roberto Ovalle.
Earlier this year, in January, a Volusia County jury consisting of four men and eight women found Rivera guilty of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In addition, the jurors voted 8-4 in favor of the death penalty for Rivera.
According to court records, on December 8, 2019, Ovalle visited Rivera at a storage unit in DeBary. Ovalle had rented the unit and was allowing Rivera to stay in it.
While they were both at the unit, Rivera began to feel “disrespected” by Ovalle. Rivera then proceeded to pull out a gun, and he shot Ovalle in the back of the head.
Ovalle sustained fatal injuries from the gunshot and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
A witness, identified as Ovalle’s girlfriend, saw the fatal shooting and reported it to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Rivera initially left the area, but he later returned while detectives were still conducting an investigation. He was arrested and transported to Volusia County Jail, where he later admitted that he was the shooter during a recorded call.
“Rivera was convicted of robbery and murder in New York but served less than 25 years in prison,” said R.J. Larizza, State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit, on Thursday afternoon. “Upon his release, he moved to Florida and executed his childhood friend within six months of his arrival.”
The case was investigated by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Heatha Trigones and Chief of Homicide Jason Lewis.