OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A trial is underway for a father and son accused of killing an Osceola County mother.
Nicole Montalvo was the estranged wife of one of the defendants, Christopher Otero-Rivera. Prosecutors believe Otero-Rivera and his father, Angel Rivera, murdered Montalvo.
>>> STREAM THE TRIAL LIVE HERE WHEN TESTIMONY RESUMES <<<
In October 2019, Montalvo’s remains were found buried on the Rivera family property.
On Tuesday, prosecutors rested and the defense began to call its first witnesses.
In the courtroom on Tuesday, witnesses testified that Rivera and Otero-Rivera wanted Montalvo dead.
A neighbor testified that Rivera offered him $10,000 to kill Montalvo.
Also on Tuesday, a juror was removed after they fell asleep during the trial.
A juror in the murder trial of Christopher Otero-Rivera and his father Angel Rivera has been removed for dozing off during the trial. The two men are accused of murdering Christopher’s wife Nicole Montalvo. #WFTV #Osceola pic.twitter.com/AhrcU3MEsK
— Jeff Deal (@JDealWFTV) April 20, 2021
Prosecutors continued to lay out their case in the trial.
Much of the testimony focused on how Montalvo’s body may have been dismembered.
An anthropologist from the University of Central Florida who analyzed the remains during the investigation took the stand to talk about what he believes happens to her.
He said it appears her body was separated at different points, using some sort of hacking tool.
Then once her body was separated in parts, it was cut down further and possibly broken into other parts.
He said some of the cuts were very smooth, almost as if they had been cut with a power tool. But, because the bones were so badly damaged, it was hard to tell if they were cut up around the time she was killed or after.
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Cox Media Group