A 10-year-old boy from Connecticut shared a heartbreaking message about missing precious time with his father, who was tragically murdered just before Halloween five years ago.
During a sentencing hearing, Nico, the son of Fernando “Chino” Rivera, delivered a heartfelt victim statement before the man responsible for his father’s death, Terrence Johnson, who received a 38-year prison sentence.
“I didn’t get enough time with [my dad]… He deserved to stay. He was taken from me too soon,” Nico said in a video shown at Milford Superior Court.
Nico was waiting for Rivera to come home so they could enjoy Halloween together in 2020, but his father never returned.
On that day, Johnson, then 18, attacked Rivera in West Haven, stabbing him in the back.
After being seriously injured, Rivera died the following day at Yale New Haven Hospital from neck injuries. When he was just five years old, Nico was told about his father’s death in a way that seemed to downplay the tragedy, described as a “boo-boo.”
Johnson was arrested and charged with murder, according to court documents.
While initially facing a sentence of 30 to 45 years, Johnson entered a plea deal with prosecutors, which ultimately reduced his time.
Nico expressed a desire for a harsher punishment, suggesting Johnson should serve 100 years. “I wish he would have gone away and gone to prison for 100 years,” he stated. “I want him to know that I miss him very much.”
Rivera’s family emphasized that his greatest fulfillment came from being a father and spending time with Nico.
Ms. Baez, Nico’s mother, voiced her dissatisfaction with the ruling, wishing that in an ideal world, Rivera’s killer would be locked away for life. She felt the sentence did little to address the profound loss they suffered.
“You stole a life, you stole a dream, you stole a love. No sentence can undo the damage you have caused,” she directed at Johnson.
“At the end of the day, my son doesn’t have a father,” she lamented.
Rivera, 6 feet tall and 350 pounds, was remembered as a gentle person who embraced fatherhood fully, earning the nickname “Papa Bear” in the maternity ward. “He was truly my best friend,” Baez reflected.
The couple had been together for 17 years, growing and overcoming challenges side by side. “We chose family every day, and that choice made him so happy,” she added.
