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Reynaldo Rivera can now surely relate to quote of Mel Gibson at the beginning of “The Patriot” when he said “I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me, and the cost would be more than I could bear.” 

Rivera sins returned to visit him yesterday morning when found himself surrounded at a location in Jonesboro by Sheriff Victor Hill’s elite Fugitive Squad and U.S. Marshals.  There Rivera was taken into custody for a murder he thought he had long gotten away with in the Virgin Islands 17 years ago.   Rivera was wanted by the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department for First Degree Murder, First Degree Assault, Possession of an Unlicensed Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence, and Reckless Endangerment. 

17 years ago on December 26, 2001, Virgin Island officers responded to reports of shots fired at a local store.  Upon arrival to the scene, police officers discovered a deceased victim who had been shot and killed inside their van.  Investigation into the incident revealed that the victim was the security guard charged with guarding the store.  While making an inspection of the vicinity, officers came into contact with a suspicious vehicle parked facing north on the roadway.  As officers approached, an unidentified black male in black clothing ran from the vehicle, crossed the roadway, and ran into the bushes.  Officers from the Special Operations Bureau responded to the search for the male that ran into the bushes, and a black stocking mask was discovered on the path of flight from the black male.  A forensic search of the abandoned vehicle yielded the discovery of an automatic handgun, one black ski mask, one grey ski mask, and a green latex glove. 

On May 29th, 2009, the still unsolved homicide case was assigned to a Cold Case Squad.  Fingerprint identification and a positive DNA match led the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department to identify the killer as Reynarldo Rafael Rivera.  According to detectives, on the morning of the murder, Mr. Rivera had planned, along with an accomplice, to rob the store that the victim was guarding.  Rivera and his accomplice approached the victim’s vehicle on each side, planning to hold the security guard hostage until the manager of the store arrived, then have the manager open the store and the safe.  However, the victim made a sudden move, and Rivera shot and killed him. 

Before federal agents return Rivera to the Virgin Islands to face his murderous past, he will “bear the cost” of facing the wall at Georgia’s toughest para-jail now better known as the “Hill-ton”

The Clayton County Sheriff's Office

                              Motto

"We defend those who cannot defend themselves"

                          Core Values

                Strength~Honor~Discipline 

                            Mission

To proactively fight and reduce crime by prevention and control