On the night of August 31, 2017, David Rivera-Mateo, a 24-year-old Hispanic male, was at the M&G Deli and Grocery in Waterbury, Connecticut, when a tragedy that would cut his life short began to unfold. Around 10:30 p.m., four masked and armed men stormed into the establishment, located near the intersection of Hillside Avenue and Willow Street, initiating a robbery.
The assailants ordered patrons and employees to lie on the floor as they proceeded to rob them of their cellphones, cash, and wallets.
In the midst of the chaotic and violent robbery, multiple gunshots were fired. One of these shots struck David Rivera-Mateo in the leg. Despite the grave injury, his friends acted quickly, rushing him to Saint Mary's Hospital for medical attention. Tragically, the wound proved to be fatal, and Rivera-Mateo was pronounced dead at the hospital. The initial police response found him at 170 Willow Street, the location of the deli, suffering from the gunshot wound before he was transported to the hospital.
The subsequent investigation into the homicide led authorities to identify four suspects connected to the crime, all of whom were associated with the Latin Kings street gang. The investigation revealed that the robbery was a planned event, with each of the four men assigned specific roles. The group was known to frequent a vacant building on Hillside Avenue, which they referred to as the "white house," a known location for drug-related activities.
Ultimately, arrests were made and the four individuals faced justice for their roles in the death of David Rivera-Mateo. Pedro "Waldie" Nieves was identified as the gunman who fired the fatal shot and was charged with felony murder. In January 2023, Nieves accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Another suspect, Joseph "Jinx" Frye, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery in 2019 and received a four-year prison sentence. The remaining two men, Juan "Bo" Morales and Tyrone "T-Love" Love, were also charged with felony murder. Morales was sentenced to 25 years in prison, while Love accepted a plea deal in June 2023, also resulting in a 25-year sentence.
