Osceola County

Trial scheduled for father-in-law facing charges related to slain Osceola County mother’s death

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The father-in-law of a slain Osceola County woman Nicole Montalvo now will not go to trial for charges related to her death until May.

Angel Rivera, who is facing charges of abuse of a body and not reporting her death, was previously scheduled to go to trial in February after Montalvo’s body was found on his family’s property.

His attorney told a judge Tuesday that the defense was not prepared to go to trial next month and waived a speedy trial, setting the case back to May.

READ: 3 months after Osceola County mom found dead, her family speaks out: ‘We are terrified’

Witnesses said they saw Rivera using heavy equipment in the area where her body was found.

He and his son, Christopher Otero-Rivera, are both facing charges related to Montalvo’s death but so far no one has been charged with murder in the case.

The lack of formal charges has caused ire between the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office. Attorney General Ashley Moody requested last week to have the case given to another jurisdiction because she said it doesn’t seem like everyone locally can work together.

Moody said last week that her office is awaiting a decision from the governor on whether he will remove the case from the State Attorney’s Office.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.

Shannon Butler

Shannon Butler, WFTV.com

Shannon joined the Eyewitness News team in 2013.

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