STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— After just over a day of deliberations, jurors assigned to the Carlos Rivera manslaughter trial returned a verdict of not guilty to the top charges.
Rivera, 38, of Stapleton, was accused of killing a man known to him during a street fight on the afternoon of June 17, 2024. The incident unfolded on a commercial block in Stapleton, resulting in the death of 41-year-old Joel Badillo.
The jury, who heard the case in state Supreme Court, St. George, acquitted the defendant of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Had Rivera been found guilty of manslaughter, he was facing significant prison time due in part to multiple prior non-violent convictions.
The defendant was, however, found guilty of felony tampering with evidence, after he tossed his knife into a sewer at the crime scene. That count, given his prior record, carries a maximum sentence of two to four years in prison. He already has completed 17 months on Rikers Island since his arrest, which counts toward his upcoming sentence…