3 months ago
SACRAMENTO, CA -- As authorities at the Greensville Correctional Center in Virginia prepare for the execution of DC sniper John Allen Muhammad, the husband of one of the victims plans to be there because he said he "wants to see him die."
Nelson Rivera has started a new life in Sacramento. But it's been a long and painful road. Frustrated by the years that went into the investigation, trial and sentencing Rivera speaks like a man hungry for justice. "They gave him seven years of life, breathing, eating, watching TV, and I think that was too long." Before October of 2002 Nelson and his wife Lori lived in the DC area with their 2-year-old daughter Jocelin. But, on October 3, 2002 their lives would be changed forever. Early that morning, Lori had just dropped Jocelin off and stopped at a gas station in Kensington, Maryland. Authorities say she had just removed the baby's car seat to vacuum out her vehicle when she was shot in the back and killed. "They knew she had a kid. And they didn't care." Ten people in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia were killed over a 22 day period that had the region and the entire nation on edge. Rivera has since relocated to Antelope, remarried and now has another daughter. His wife Kimberly said, " I hope it brings some closure to my husband and the other victims." "This is going to be the last chapter in this book," said Rivera who is in DC to witness Muhammad's execution. "I'm going to close this and move on. My heart is always going to be with my wife." But it was not Lori Rivera's death that sent Muhammad to death row. His execution is punishment for the slaying of Dean Harold Meyers who was shot and killed at a gas station in Manassas, Virginia. Muhammad's teen accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo faces life behind bars. Barring a last minute reprieve from Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, Muhammad will be executed by lethal injection Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. local time.
On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block Tuesday's execution. The Court did not comment on why it refused to consider his appeal.
Muhammad's attorney, Jonathan Sheldon, says "Virginia will execute a severely mentally ill man who also suffered from Gulf War Syndrome the day before Veterans Day." Rivera said he finds that argument to be a "joke...He [knew] what he was doing. Both of them. I wish Malvo had the same sentence."
by Ayesha Thomas athomas@news10.net
News10/KXTV
