PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — New York State Police have arrested a man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and burying her in a shallow grave in a Northeast Philadelphia park late last year.
State troopers arrested the suspect, 29-year-old Geovanni Otero, on Saturday during a routine traffic stop in Westchester County, New York. The troopers had stopped a car that was reported stolen in Virginia.
Authorities said Otero initially complied but then sped off. He crashed about a mile down the road and started to run on foot, but officers caught up with him. They took him to the hospital for minor injuries.
Officials said Otero gave the troopers a fake name and, when searched, they said he was carrying multiple fraudulent IDs. Fingerprint analysis revealed his identity as the fugitive wanted by the Philadelphia Police Department and U.S. Marshals in connection with the death of his 29-year-old ex-girlfriend, Melody Rivera.
Rivera was reported missing on Nov. 1, 2024, and her body was found in a shallow grave near Champion Park Playground in Northeast Philadelphia on Nov. 8. Police said she was bludgeoned to death.
Otero has an arraignment scheduled for Tuesday. He remains in custody in New York pending extradition proceedings.