American Citizen Wanted for Killing 3 Tijuana Sex Workers Arrested in California

By BERT HOOVER Jul 11 2023, 23:06 PM EDT

An American citizen from California has been apprehended by US authorities on charges following the murders of Tijuana sex workers, AP reports.

Bryant Rivera, a 30-year-old resident of Downey, a Los Angeles suburb, was arrested on July 6 for the femicide charge related to the strangulation death of Angela Carolina Acosta Flores, whose body was discovered in a Tijuana hotel room on January 25, 2022.

An autopsy said she had been asphyxiated.

US court records indicate that Mexico intends to seek Rivera's extradition to face additional charges concerning the deaths of two more women in Tijuana.

The attorney general of Baja California, Ricardo Ivan Carpio, stated that new evidence obtained during Rivera's arrest in California will be presented in support of the extradition request.

It remains unclear whether Rivera has retained legal representation at this time.

Rivera appeared in federal court on Monday. US Magistrate Judge Karen L. Stevenson ordered him to be held at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles throughout the extradition proceedings.

Mexico has a period of 60 days to file a formal extradition request.

Mother of Bryant Rivera's Victim Tells What Happened to Her Daughter

Acosta's mother provided Mexican authorities with information regarding her daughter's employment and activities before her death, per CBS News.

She stated that her daughter worked at the Hong Kong Gentlemen's Club, a strip bar located next to the Tijuana hotel where her body was discovered, according to court records, adding that Acosta occasionally engaged in sex work as well.

The mother reported that her last contact with her daughter was on January 24, 2022, when Acosta sent a text message indicating that she would be taking a client to room 404 at the Las Cascadas Hotel for a 30-minute encounter around 10:15 pm.

The mother further mentioned that she texted Acosta at 10:45 pm but did not receive a response.

Acosta's boyfriend visited the club at 3 am. He was informed by a staff member that Acosta had left with a customer named Bryant Rivera, described as a "gringo," the court records continue.

After Acosta's body was discovered in room 404, her mother used her daughter's cellphone to track its location, leading her to an address in Riverside, California.

Security camera footage from the hotel captured a man resembling Rivera and the victim entering room 404, as detailed in court records.

US Customs and Border Protection records indicate that the American citizen, Bryant Rivera, crossed the US border on foot through the San Ysidro port of entry shortly after midnight on January 25, 2022.

Witnesses Identify the American Citizen as the Suspect

According to Baja California prosecutors, Bryant Rivera was seen leaving the hotel room before midnight and did not return, according to NBC News.

They allege that he crossed the US-Mexico border on foot just 13 minutes after leaving the room, as stated in the complaint.

One witness provided detectives with Rivera's first and last name, identifying him as the person last seen with Acosta at the club adjacent to the hotel. The witness, described as a regular at the club, recognized Rivera.

Another witness detailed the defendant's facial features and clothing, noting that his mask did not fit properly, revealing an acne-scarred face.

The Baja California attorney general's office had previously announced that the American citizen suspected in all three murder cases engaged in sexual activity with the victims before killing them.

They stated that the suspect frequented Tijuana's red-light district, Zona Norte.

The specific details surrounding the other two cases were not available. The attorney general's office of Baja California said the deaths occurred between September 2021 and February 2022.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear if Acosta was the last victim, as her mother reportedly identified her in early February 2022, as mentioned in the federal court filing.

The attorney general's office previously disclosed that all three victims were found in hotel rooms.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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