DeBary camp killer sentenced to death
Julio Rivera shot and killed a childhood friend, Roberto Ovalle, in a DeBary storage unit in 2019.
A convicted murderer who killed another person in DeBary, shooting a childhood friend, was sentenced to death Thursday.
Julio C. Rivera, 52, shot and killed 40-year-old Roberto Ovalle on December 8, 2019, in a storage unit near Highbanks Road that had been converted into a housing unit.
In January, a jury recommended Rivera’s execution by a vote of 8 to 4.
On Thursday, District Judge Elizabeth Blackburn followed that recommendation.
Ovalle was dealing drugs and storing marijuana and heroin in the storage unit where he let Rivera, his childhood friend, live. Rivera was wanted in New York for violating parole.
Rivera felt disrespected by Ovalle, prosecutors said. Ovalle had planned a trip to New York and Rivera asked what he would get out of it. Ovalle said nothing – he was allowed to stay in the storage unit. Shortly thereafter, Rivera shot him in the head.
Murder in New York
Rivera committed a robbery in New York on August 29, 1993. He was arrested and tried for that crime. Then on October 24, 1993, he robbed another person and shot him in the hand. On December 11, 1993, he committed another robbery, this time killing the victim in front of his young sons, according to prosecutors.
He was released from prison on February 19, 2019, after serving 24 years behind bars. He violated parole by fleeing to Florida, where he killed Ovalle.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Jason Lewis and Heatha Trigones.
“Rivera was convicted of robbery and murder in New York, but served less than 25 years in prison. After his release, he moved to Florida and within six months had his childhood friend executed,” District Attorney RJ Larizza said in a press release. “Today, he was sentenced to death for the execution of his longtime friend. Florida has the death penalty for a good reason – to ensure that sociopaths like Rivera cannot be released to murder again and again.”
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