Monday, January 16, 2012
Debra and Dr. Hector Rivera were killed last week in the north Tampa subdivision.
She loved fashion and phone calls, and held beautiful, elegant parties. He loved a Washington, D.C., restaurant called Bodega, and being with his family. Most of all, friends and relatives said during a funeral mass on Monday, Debra, 55, and Dr. Hector Rivera, 76, loved each other. "They were very generous, and they threw us an engagement party at their home in 1992," said Harbour Island resident Ian Cordell of the couple, who he used to see walking on Madeira Beach during their down time. "I'll always remember them having a profound effect on us." On Monday at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, family and friends like Cordell took time to honor the couple, who were killed on Jan. 9 in their home at 814 Taray De Avila in the exclusive …
Friday, January 13, 2012
Rivera, 55, donated to the National Humane Society at 4039 Gunn Highway in Carrollwood,
When Carol Childs heard about the death of Debra Rivera earlier this week, she thought about what the woman meant to the National Humane Society in Carrollwood. Child's runs the nonprofit organization that Rivera, 55, supported through some of the sale proceeds from her business, Distinctive Creations. Rivera's company sold high-end jewelry and the society was able to use some of the money to buy items like animal traps, Childs said. "It was a breath of fresh air to know you could call Debbie," said Childs. "If you ever needed it, she was there." Debra Rivera and her husband, Dr. Hector Rivera, 76, were shot to death Monday at their Avila home. Julian Ospina-Florez, 31, of Carrollwood has been charged in the couple's death. He faces a bail…
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Julian Ospina-Florez, 31, was charged with two counts of first degree murder on Tuesday in the killing of Debra and Hector Rivera.
One day after Sheriff David Gee announced the arrest of Julian Ospina-Florez, residents of the exclusive, gated subdivision of Avila in north Tampa reacted to the news, saying they felt a sense of relief in knowing that a Carrollwood man was behind bars after the Monday evening slaying of Debra Rivera, 55, and Dr. Hector Rivera, 76. But others wondered if Debra Rivera had been too trusting of Ospina-Florez, her 31-year-old driver and assistant, who law enforcement officials say she had grown less fond of before she was killed. "It was so senseless," said Carol Nieto, a friend of the Riveras, about their deaths. "I think anybody you let in your house and drive you, you should check them out. I think she (Debra) was a little too trusting." …
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Hector Rivera, 76, and his wife Debra, 55, were found dead in their home in the north Tampa gated subdivision of Avila on Monday, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee tonight announced an arrest in the double homicide of a couple who lived in the gated north Tampa community of Avila. Julian Ospina-Florez, 31, of 11718 Wesson Circle in Carrollwood, has been charged in the slayings of Dr. Hector Rivera, 76, and his wife Debra Rivera, 55. Authorities found a 9mm gun at the home at 814 Taray De Avila that they say Florez used to kill the couple on Monday. The gun was registered to Florez, Gee said. "It was a very brutal killing," Gee said during a Jan. 10 press conference. "He definitely was making sure that nobody left that residence. That evidence will come out later in the grand jury proceeding ... his intent was to make sure nobody survived the attack.” According to Gee, …
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is on scene
Authorities from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office are in the midst of a death investigation involving two people in the Avila subdivision in north Tampa, according to Debbie Carter, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office. After receiving a 911 call at 7:53 p.m. today, authorities discovered two dead people at a residence on Taray De Avila, Carter said. Authorities will have to obtain a search warrant in order to enter the home, which colud take several hours, Carter said. Check Carrollwood Patch for updates on this story.
David Lucero
12:41 pm on Wednesday, January 11, 2012
@Dave Williams, Apparently you believe in God you said I pray, well let's see what God say's about being a Judge, Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge for you to will be Judged" Luke 6:37 " do not Judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn , and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. And here's the best scripture for all of us, yes everyone. Luke 6:41 " Why do you look at the … more ›