Dateline Tonight

Who is Luis Rivera & Where is He Now? 2025 Update & Background

by · Published · Updated

Luis Rivera was a known member of the Latin Kings, one of the most notorious street gangs in the United States. Based in Miami, Florida, Rivera had already built a criminal record by the time his name became linked to the 2014 murder of law professor Dan Markel. At the time of his arrest, he was already serving a federal sentence related to gang activity, including racketeering charges.

Rivera’s close relationship with Sigfredo Garcia, the man who ultimately pulled the trigger in the Markel murder, proved to be a pivotal connection in the case. The two had known each other for years and operated in overlapping criminal circles. When Garcia was recruited to help carry out a murder-for-hire, he turned to Rivera to serve as his partner and getaway driver.

The Role in the Markel Murder Plot

Rivera and Garcia traveled from Miami to Tallahassee in a rented Toyota Prius in July 2014. Using toll records, cellphone tower data, surveillance footage, and other digital tracking, investigators were able to trace their movements — from tracking Markel’s daily routine to the moment they followed him to his home.

On the morning of July 18, 2014, as Markel pulled into his driveway after dropping his children off at daycare, Garcia shot him twice in the head. Rivera sat behind the wheel of the getaway car. The two men quickly returned to Miami after the murder, with cash payments delivered in the following days through their mutual contact and go-between, Katherine Magbanua.

Arrest, Plea Deal, and Testimony

Luis Rivera was arrested in June 2016, not long after Sigfredo Garcia. Unlike the other defendants in the case, Rivera made the decision to cooperate with law enforcement early on. In October 2016, he accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a 19-year prison sentence to run concurrently with his existing federal sentence.

In return, Rivera gave prosecutors critical information about the planning and execution of the murder. He testified that he and Garcia were hired to kill Dan Markel and that the plan was facilitated by Katherine Magbanua — who, in turn, was acting on behalf of the Adelson family. He described how they were paid, how they stalked Markel, and what he understood the motive to be: “The lady wants her kids back.”

Impact on the Case

Rivera’s cooperation was instrumental in breaking the case open. His firsthand account of the murder, supported by phone records and surveillance, helped secure the convictions of Sigfredo Garcia and later Katherine Magbanua. His testimony also laid the foundation for the prosecution’s case against Charles Adelson and Donna Adelson in subsequent years.

While Rivera admitted to being a participant in the crime, his willingness to testify against his co-conspirators gave him a reduced sentence and protected him from a potential life term. He provided key details about the money trail, travel routes, burner phones, and even coded language used by the conspirators in the weeks before and after the murder.

Where He Is Now

Luis Rivera is currently serving his 19-year sentence in a Florida state prison. Because the sentence runs concurrently with his earlier federal conviction, he is expected to remain incarcerated into the early 2030s, depending on good behavior and time served.

Though once a feared gang leader, Rivera’s role has shifted dramatically. Now seen as a central witness for the state, his decision to turn on his former associates changed the trajectory of one of the most high-profile murder-for-hire cases in recent memory.

Rivera will be remembered not only as an accomplice to a cold-blooded assassination, but as the insider who helped bring down a wealthy family conspiracy — exposing how a custody battle spiraled into deadly vengeance.

More “Deadly Mischief”

More Feature Articles

Avatar photo

Ryan Gill

Ryan is a passionate follower of true crime television programs, reporting on and providing in-depth investigations on mysteries in the criminal world.

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *