Juror is dismissed after falling ASLEEP during murder trial of husband and father-in-law accused of dismembering woman’s body
- Juror 16 fell asleep multiple times before his dismissal on Tuesday morning
- The juror was replaced by an alternate who had been paying attention
- Nicole Montalvo was reported missing on October 21, 2019 after dropping off her son with the Rivera family
- Her remains were later found burned, mutilated and dismembered
- She was separated from her husband, Christopher Otero-Rivera, at the time
- Otero-Rivera and his father, Angel Rivera, are accused of second-degree murder
- Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges
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 assumably hadn’t been struggling to stay awake in court.
The trial for Christopher Otero-Rivera and Angel Rivera in Osceola County, Florida took an unexpected turn on Tuesday when a juror was dismissed for falling asleep (trial shown)
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.
Christopher Otero-Rivera (left) and Angel Rivera (right) are accused of second-degree murder
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, Wanda, who testified about the positive relationship she had with Montalvo and her grandson.
According to WFTV, Wanda testified that Nicole didn’t mention any plans to go away prior to her disappearance.
Nicole Montalvo, 35, was found with her body dismembered days after her disappearance
Otero-Rivera and Rivera are being represented in their trial by separate attorneys.
During opening statements, Otero-Rivera’s attorney pointed the finger toward Rivera.
‘He was unquestionably the boss of the Rivera family,’ Otero-Rivera’s lawyer said of Rivera last week. ‘He controlled things. He manipulated things.’
Her body was found in multiple locations on a property belonging to the Rivera family
Her body was dismembered, with it placed in different places with burns and mutilations
A former jailmate of Otero-Rivera, Dustin Gonzalez, also testified on Monday that Otero-Rivera wanted Gonzalez to plant drugs on Montalvo in exchange for bail money.
That testimony included a reference to Rivera wanting Montalvo to disappear, according to ClickOrlando.
The state’s final witnesses were set to testify at the Osceloa County Courthouse on Tuesday morning, after which it will rest its case, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
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