The jury trial date in the case of a 44 year old man charged with murder in the November 2025 death of a Vandalia teenager has been vacated. Arnold Rivera appeared via Zoom in Fayette County Court on Wednesday with public defender Lucas Mette and States Attorney Brenda Mathis present for a scheduled final pre-trial hearing in the matter. Per a motion by Mette with no objection from the state, the jury trial has been vacated with the continuation charged to the defendant. The case has now been set for a hearing on May 5 at 11:00am for a possible plea at that time.
Rivera is charged with two counts of First Degree Murder as information on the charges states that in November of 2025, Rivera is alleged to have strangled a 14-year old Vandalia juvenile with jumper cables and concealed the body. Both counts are Class M Felonies and carry a sentence of 20 to 60 years in prison. Rivera also faces two counts of Criminal Sexual Assault, both Class 1 Felonies, one count of Concealing a Homicidal Death, a Class 3 Felony and one count of Concealing Death, a Class 4 Felony.
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