Defendant: Luis Alturet-Rivera (DOB 02/05/75)

Oct. 8, 2019 -- Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced Luis Alturet-Rivera was arraigned on an indictment for the January 2017 murder of his one-time girlfriend, Diana Casado, in Yonkers. Westchester County Court Judge Anne Minihan presided.

A Westchester County Grand Jury handed up an indictment, charging Alturet-Rivera with:

  • Murder in the Second Degree, a class A felony
  • Criminal Possession of a weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony
  • 2 counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony
  • 2 counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony

The defendant was remanded into custody. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 07, 2020.

Background
On Jan. 22, 2017, around 3 a.m., prosecutors allege that Luis Alturet-Rivera shot Diana Casado in the head as she sat in her car. The car was parked in a Palisades Avenue lot where she normally parked. Hours later, her mother found her still alive and called 911. EMS responded and took her to Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx where she later died.

A video surveillance camera located a short distance from where she was shot, captured Alturet-Rivera with her pocketbook, which contained her wallet, credit cards and other personal information. Another camera captured him minutes later throwing her purse it into a dumpster, making it look like a robbery. The contents were recovered sometime later.

During the initial investigation, Alturet-Rivera left the state, and, later, became a person of interest in the case. The Yonkers Police Department cold case team continued to investigate and, eventually, tracked him to Washington State. He was extradited from the Washington in February 2019.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Christine O’Connor, Chief of the Homicide Bureau, and John O’Rourke, Chief of the Gang, Firearms and Narcotics Bureau.

In compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3.6, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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