Florida Mom Killed, Dismembered By Her Husband and Father-in-Law to Get Custody of Son

Florida mom Nicole Montalvo was killed and dismembered by her husband and father-in-law in 2019 to get custody of her son.

Christopher Otero-Rivero, 33, and Angel Rivera, 66, had received life sentences for the second-degree murder of Montalvo on Wednesday, July 21. People reported that jurors found the men guilty of their crimes last April.

The Florida mom was last seen alive on Oct. 21, 2019, when she was seen dropping her nine-year-old son off at school.

Nicole Montalvo's remains were found six days later. It was recovered from a property where Angel Rivera was living at the time. The Florida mom's body was burned and dismembered before it was buried.

Nicole Montalvo's Murder Case

Christina Montalvo earlier said she was driving home when she noticed that a car that seemed similar to the one owned by her sister's killers started following her.

She said she panicked as Angel Rivera knew where she was working at the time. The suspect had already intimidated her before. She called her brother to report the incident.

She later found out that the driver was not him. But she said that the feeling still haunted her, Orlando Sentinel reported.

Montalvo's family had burst into tears when Circuit Judge Keith Carsten sentenced both men to life imprisonment. Carsten said the suspects' way to cover up the crime was something that he cannot ignore.

Before she was killed, Nicole Montalvo was divorcing her husband. Prosecutors said that both men had done the crime to get custody of the couple's son.

In 2018, Otero-Rivera was accused of abducting and brutally his wife, according to court records. Montalvo then filed for divorce in February 2019 while her estranged husband was in jail. The Florida mom was seeking to end their relationship after years of the alleged abuse.

According to prosecutors, both men had planned to plant drugs on Nicole Montalvo to make her lose custody of her son. Two people testified that Angel Rivera had offered them money to have his daughter-in-law killed.

Meanwhile, Otero-Rivera's attorney argued that there was no direct evidence that linked him to the murder of the Florida mom, implying that it could have been Rivera who committed the murder, WFLA reported.

The Sentencing of Suspects in the Florida Mom's Murder

The defense called for 23 years up to life in prison when it comes to the sentencing of the suspects.

Prosecutor Ryan Williams stressed the importance of retribution. He said that when the court makes sure criminals are punished for their crimes, it keeps family members from taking matters into their own hands.

Williams noted that both the son and the father thought they would not be caught. He then asked the judge to impose a life sentence without the possibility of parole for both suspects.

Three of Nicole Montalvo's family members had also taken the stand against the suspects. Edward Montalvo, the Florida mom's brother, said he and other family members had earlier pleaded with Nicole to leave her husband.

Her family said the verdict brought accountability for her death and fulfilled a promise to her son.

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Father, Son Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Nicole Montalvo - From WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando