Julius Rivera, an 18-year-old Hispanic male from Plainville, Connecticut, was remembered by his family as funny, smart, and quiet. His mother called him her everything, while his sister recalled that he had a big heart and "cared a lot about people." His life was cut short in the winter of 2023, marking the first homicide of the year in the city of Hartford.
On the night of January 11, 2023, Rivera had just left a convenience store in Hartford’s Frog Hollow neighborhood and was walking
to his car. Near 695 Broad Street, a man in a hooded sweatshirt approached and fired several shots at him. As Rivera collapsed, the man stepped closer and shot him again at point-blank range before fleeing the scene. A ShotSpotter alert brought police to the 600 block of Broad Street just before 10 p.m. Officers found Rivera suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and rushed him to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 2:02 a.m. on January 12.
The Hartford Police Department's Major Crimes and Crime Scene Divisions launched an investigation. A Honda Accord seen driving away from the area was later found abandoned on a highway, leading detectives to a Hartford woman named Sahaira Delucca. A witness placed Delucca in the getaway car, and though she allegedly told police she was out of town, cell phone records showed she was near the crime scene. In May 2023, the 28-year-old was arrested and charged with hindering prosecution.
For over a year, detectives continued to work the case. Using DNA, cell phone records, and a new statement from Delucca, they identified a primary suspect. On March 11, 2024, members of the Hartford Police Violent Crime Unit and the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested 23-year-old Luis Laboy of Hartford. He was charged with murder, criminal possession of a firearm, and unlawful discharge of a firearm. According to police, Laboy was on probation for two prior gun convictions at the time of the shooting. A judge set his bond at $1.5 million. Rivera’s mother said police told her that they believed her son and his alleged killer did not know each other.
Since the arrest, Rivera’s family has attended every court date. As of January 2026, the criminal case against Luis Laboy remained ongoing, proceeding through almost a dozen hearings while pending trial in Hartford court.
