Connect with us

Connecticut

Connecticut boy, 10, sends emotional message to father’s Halloween killer during sentencing: ‘Taken from me too early’

Published

on

Connecticut boy, 10, sends emotional message to father’s Halloween killer during sentencing: ‘Taken from me too early’


A 10-year-old Connecticut boy heart-wrenchingly revealed that he didn’t have enough time with his late father, who was stabbed to death before they could go trick-or-treating on Halloween five years earlier.

Fernando “Chino” Rivera’s son, “Niko,” bravely delivered the powerful victim statement before his father’s killer, Terrence Johnson, was sentenced to 38 years in prison on Tuesday.

“I didn’t get enough time (with dad)…My dad deserved to stay. My dad was taken from me too early,” Niko said in a video played in the Superior Court in Milford, according to the Harford Courant.

Fernando “Chino” Rivera holds his son Niko in an undated photo. Rivera was fatally attacked in West Haven, Conn. in 2020. Facebook/FernandoRivera

Niko had been waiting for his father to come home so that the pair could celebrate their Halloween together in 2020, but Rivera never returned.

Advertisement

The 35-year-old was at the corner of Elm Street and Washington Avenue in West Haven, Conn., when Johnson, then 18, stabbed him from behind.

Rivera, who was engaged to Niko’s mother Lindsee Baez, was seriously injured in the attack and died from a neck injury at Yale New Haven Hospital the next day, according to his obituary.

Niko, only being five, was told his father died of a “boo-boo.”

Johnson was arrested and charged with murder, according to court records viewed by The Post.

Fernando “Chino” Rivera died of neck injuries at Yale New Haven Hospital on Nov. 1, 2020. North Haven Funeral Home
Terrance Johnson pleaded guilty to the murder and sentenced to 38 years in prison.

He fleshed out a plea deal with prosecutors to reduce his sentence to between 30 and 45 years, Baez told the outlet.

Advertisement

The boy recommended to the court that Johnson deserved to be booked in prison for a century, despite the killer getting under four decades.

“I wish he would go away and stay in jail for 100 years,” Niko said. “I want (dad) to know I miss him so much.”

Loved ones said Rivera’s greatest joy was “being a father and spending time with his son.”

Baez was hopeful her fiancé’s killer would spend the rest of his life in jail “in a perfect world,” but conceded to the sentencing being “a semblance of justice,” she told the court.

Advertisement

“You stole a life, you stole dreams, and you stole love, and no sentence can ever undo the damage you caused,” she furiously told Johnson.

“At the end of my day, my son doesn’t have a dad,” Baez said.

Rivera and his fiancée Lindsee Baez were together for 17 years before his murder. Facebook/FernandoRivera

Rivera, a 6-foot, 350-pound man known for his tattoos, was remembered for his gentle soul, who became a stay-at-home dad after his son’s birth, affectionately being called “Papa Bear,” in the maternity ward, Baez said.

“He was truly my best friend,” she said, according to the outlet.

“We grew up together, from our teenage years into adulthood,” Baez recalled on her 17-year relationship with Rivera. “The road was bumpy along the way, but we never gave up on each other. We chose our family every single day, and that choice made him so happy.”

Advertisement



Source link

Connecticut

22-year-old man dies after crash on I-84 in Middlebury

Published

on

22-year-old man dies after crash on I-84 in Middlebury


MIDDLEBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — A 22-year-old man is dead after a crash on Interstate 84 in Middlebury on Saturday, Connecticut State Police say.

Crews from Troop A. responded to the scene between exits 16 and 17 on the Eastbound side at about 3:45 a.m. for reports of a two-car crash.

The both cars were traveling in the center lane near the South Street Bridge when the second car rear ended the first. The driver of the second car died as a result of the crash.

Connecticut State Police have identified the victim as 22-year-old James Hannan of Farmington.

Advertisement

Any witnesses to the collision are requested to contact Trooper James Perazzella #762 at (203)267-2200 or james.perazzella@ct.gov. The collision remains under investigation.



Source link

Continue Reading

Connecticut

At least 50 people charged with animal cruelty in ‘significant’ police operation in Tolland Saturday

Published

on

At least 50 people charged with animal cruelty in ‘significant’ police operation in Tolland Saturday


TOLLAND, Conn. (WTNH) — Tolland Town Manager Brian Foley has shared more information about a “significant” police operation on Saturday which resulted in at least 50 people being charged with animal cruelty.

According to Foley, a criminal investigation operation involving Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture took place on Saturday in connection to an alleged large-scale “cockfighting” event at a secluded quarry off Mountain Spring Road that has been inactive for more than a decade.

A “significant number of arrests” took place on Saturday and at least 50 people were charged with animal cruelty. Hundreds of birds were found by investigators and “significant evidence” was recovered, according to Foley.

“While this type of event is shocking, yesterday’s operation demonstrated clearly that the Town of Tolland is not the place to attempt this type of criminal activity. Our law enforcement partners made that abundantly clear,” he said. “Animal cruelty of this type or any kind will never be tolerated in the Town of Tolland.”

Advertisement

This is a developing story, stay with News 8 for updates


Download the News 8 app to get breaking news and weather alerts.

Watch News 8 on WTNH.com or the free WTNH News 8 streaming app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and select Samsung Smart TVs.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Connecticut

Police investigating fatal crash in New Haven

Published

on

Police investigating fatal crash in New Haven


One person is dead after a car crash in New Haven on Saturday.

The crash occurred at the 600 block of Woodward Avenue, according to New Haven Police.

Stream Connecticut News for free, 24/7, wherever you are.

  WATCH HERE
Advertisement

Police said the car crashed into a tree.

No other information has been released.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending