ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Police Department says an illegal immigrant was arrested for killing his wife and is being held in the Orange County Jail without bond.
Officers say 30-year-old Himber Rivero-Romero was in the country illegally, and now he’s headed to jail in a white jumpsuit, facing a murder charge. He’s accused of shooting and killing his 27-year-old wife Franyelin Pires-Reyes.
Orlando Police say the couple was separated, but still living together at the West Brook Apartments, just off Kirkman Road. Investigators say the trouble started when the victim started seeing someone new.
We spoke with neighbors in the complex. A neighbor named Maria didn’t want to give us her last name but says, “You don’t know who you are with, that’s kind of crazy.” Orlando Police say Rivero-Romero called for help and remained at the apartment. First responders couldn’t save her, and she died at the scene. Maria says, “The police they were here all night. They change cars every hour or two hours.”
Orlando Police say the couple crossed the border in Eagle Pass, Texas in September of 2023 and claimed asylum. However, an application alone does not grant legal status while it’s pending.
Rivero-Romero is now being held on an immigration detainer in the Orange County Jail.
Immigration attorney Francisco Symphorien isn’t part of the case, but we asked him if the suspect could be deported and avoid charges. “Even if his asylum were denied, he would not be removed from the country, because there would probably be a criminal warrant from the process.”
The next hearing is scheduled for Friday at 9 a.m.
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