Man Says He's Guilty In Banquet Hall Owner's Stabbing Death
MIAMI - (CBS4) -- The man who police say brutally murdered a businesswoman in her Southwest Miami-Dade home took a guilty plea Tuesday.
Reynerio Alonso Rivero, 35, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and burglary and by doing so avoids the death penalty, his court-appointed attorney said.
Rivero admitted to breaking into the home of Elizabeth Roxana Palomino on the 138th block of Southwest 156th Street with the intention of stealing money to go play poker at the Magic City casino.
Palomino, who co-owned Salsamor Dance Studio with her husband, returned to her home earlier than expected on April 17th.
That's when Rivero attempted to hide in the closet. When Palomino discovered the intruder, police say, she locked herself in a bedroom. Rivero, who was armed with a knife, kicked down the door and stabbed Palomino several times.
Elizabeth's husband of 27 years Percy discovered his wife's body when he returned home at about 1 a.m.
Rivero was a former handyman who had been hired to do work at the couple's banquet hall, CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald reported.
Palomino's daughter Karla cried in court and said, "They gave you shelter, they gave you food. Who would do that?"
Palomino's husband Percy also expressed his grief over the loss of his wife.
"I lost the greatest thing that God has given me, my wife," he said. "I can no longer sleep."
