Military Man Accused Of Killing His Wife After A Dance

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

A young Marine of Hispanic origin has been singled out as the alleged murderer of his young wife who was killed by suffocating her after attending a gala dance in Arlington, Virginia.

The events occurred on November 3 when Natasha Rivera, 20, and Rodolfo Rivera Valencia, 24, stayed at the Gateway Marriott hotel in Crystal, Virginia, after attending the Marine Corps' 243 anniversary party.

On the morning of November 4, around 10:30 a.m., Rivera Valencia made a call to 911 claiming that his wife was unconscious. The man said he was sure he had killed her, according to an affidavit released by The Freelance Star of Fredericksburg.

When the police arrived at the hotel, they found Natasha Rivera lifeless and with injuries to the neck that indicated strangulation, in addition to multiple blows to the body. Her face and arms indicated that the victim suffered a "brutal" beating, Detective Jasmine Sean said in her report.

According to official documents, Rivera Valencia admitted having drunk "until he was unconscious" after attending the aforementioned dance, and he does not remember what happened that night. He also admitted having problems with his temperament in the past.

The young victim had become the mother of a little boy a few months ago and approximately 8 months ago they had married.

The couple lived at Madison Court, in North Stafford County, and were affiliated with a Quantico military base. The relatives of the deceased remembered her as a "vibrant" woman who, had she been able, would have fought to defend herself.

"She was so full of life, she had so much more to give and it was taken from her," Leyda Cruz, a family friend, told the local FOX 5 station. "She did not have the opportunity to raise her baby. It's not fair to her."

For her part, one of the victim's sisters spoke to the aforementioned news network, assuring that the deceased's baby will remain in the custody of her family. "My mom had sole custody of the child and we are going to raise him exactly as my sister would have liked it to be done."

Rivera Valencia remains imprisoned and without bail while he awaits his hearing before the judge scheduled for December.