Julio Rivera convicted on 1st-degree murder charges
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A man was found guilty Thursday of murdering his friend in 2019 in a DeBary storage unit.
Julio Rivera was convicted on charges of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Investigators said he shot and killed his childhood friend, Roberto Ovalle, at a storage unit on Highbanks Road.
Ovalle’s girlfriend-at-the-time told investigators that Rivera shot her boyfriend in the head three times while they were sitting inside the storage unit.
Officials with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said Rivera was living in the storage unit.
Rivera was previously convicted of murder in New York and was wanted on an active arrest warrant for a parole violation at the time of the shooting. Investigators said they believe Rivera was hiding out in the storage unit since October 2019 to avoid arrest.
Following his arrest, detectives said Rivera admitted to the crime in a recorded jailhouse phone call.
His sentencing is set to start on Tuesday, and he could face the death penalty.
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Brenda Argueta
Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She graduated from UCF and returned to Central Florida after working in Colorado.
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