Divorce is never an easy thing. There are a lot of complicated feelings swirling, especially when there are kids involved. One Florida man who took matters into his own hands when he worried he might lose custody of his child will now spend life in prison for his actions.
Christopher Otero-Rivera and his father, Angel Rivera, were sentenced to life in prison for the death of Otero-Rivera's estranged wife, Nicole Montalvo, in 2019. Montalvo had decided to leave Otero-Rivera and get custody of their son after years of alleged abuse.
Otero-Rivera and Rivera were determined to make sure that Montalvo did not get custody. They initially planned to plant drugs on her, but things took a much darker turn.
When Nicole Montalvo disappeared in October 2019, those who knew her were fearful something terrible had happened. Montalvo was in the process of leaving an abusive relationship with husband Christopher Otero-Rivera. She was reported missing after failing to arrive to pick their 8-year-old son up from school.
Days later, Montalvo's badly maimed remains were found on property belonging to Otero-Rivera's family, including dad Angel Rivera. At first, not a lot of details were available. It later became clear that authorities were working through the couple's history of domestic violence.
Montalvo first filed a restraining order against her husband in 2016 after he allegedly slapped her while drunk, in front of their son, before dragging her out of the room by her hair. She then told authorities, "This isn't the first time it happen[ed] but this is the worst time," per the Orlando Sentinel.
Things escalated again in October 2018, when Otero-Rivera texted Montalvo for a ride after his car allegedly broke down. She picked him, and he instructed her to drive him to a certain location, at which point another woman, Toni Rocker, met them.
Rocker got out of her car, ripped Montalvo out of the car she was driving, and threw her on the ground and began beating her. Otero-Rivera then joined in, trying to stuff a rag in his estranged wife's mouth. He went through Montalvo's phone, berating her about who she was texting and throwing her to the ground by her hair.
Otero-Rivera tried to break her neck during the attack, but was unsuccessful. Rocker threatened Montalvo with a knife, saying she'd slit her throat if she went to police. She then allegedly instructed Montalvo to drive Otero-Rivera to a local gas station.
"While at the gas station Christopher told Nicole, that she was to tell her mother and father that some black guys jumped her at a red light," an affidavit about the crime reads.
"Christopher told Nicole that if she called the police or told anyone the truth, that he and Toni would 'come after' [her] and she would be 'killed.'"
Montalvo went to the police anyway, leading to the arrest of Otero-Rivera and Rocker. Rocker got probation but has since been jailed for violating probation. Otero-Rivera cut a deal that dropped kidnapping, robbery, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charges. He instead pleaded no contest to hindering a witness’s ability to communicate with law enforcement, unlawful possession of a credit or debit card, and battery. He served some jail time and also got two years of probation.
The terms of the probation only allowed Montalvo and Otero-Rivera to speak through a parenting app. Montalvo requested for those terms to be eased after a few months, hoping to make things work in the best interest of her son.
Otero-Rivera was still wearing an ankle monitor as a term of his probation in 2019 when he and his father killed Montalvo. When her remains were found at a family property in St. Cloud, police were able to determine Otero-Rivera had been there on the day of her murder.
Sheriff Russ Gibson was among those who recovered the body and was truly stricken by the horrifying state it was found in. "I'm so angry what these people have done to this sweet woman, at a time in her life when she felt as though she had finally broken free (from the relationship) and was so happy to have made her first month’s rent," he told Fox News.
"Many times, victims of domestic violence don’t know how to break free, but she was out there on her own getting it done. Now she is dead."
During Otero-Rivera and Rivera's trial, Jennifer Nara, the former Orange-Osceola associate medical examiner, testified that Montalvo's body was the worst mutilated she'd ever seen. Her remains had been burned after she was dismembered.
"There were many portions of the bones that were not present," she shared.
"There were a lot of small, little fragments of them, almost like the bones had been put through a wood chipper."
The medical examiner wasn't able to determine how Montalvo actually died because of her body's condition. As a result, Montalvo's cause of death is listed as "homicidal violence of unspecified means," according to Positively Osceola.
Otero-Rivera and his father were found guilty of the murder in April. On July 21, the two were sentenced to life in prison, plus another 15 years for dismembering the body, and another five years for tampering with evidence.
"I cannot ignore the brutality of your efforts to cover up that crime, or the pain it brought the family of Nicole Montalvo," Judge Keith Carsons told the father and son.
