A convicted Augusta-area serial killer, who confessed to killing four women and assaulting a teen nearly 16 years ago, is claiming he is innocent of murdering an Augusta woman and an Aiken County woman.
Reinaldo Rivera, 52, who is currently on death row, contends in an amended motion on Aug. 9 that he falsely confessed to the sexual assault and murder of Fort Gordon Sgt. Marni Glista, of Augusta, and the death of Tiffaney Wilson, of Aiken County, according to the amended petition.
Rivera was convicted of Glista’s murder in January 2004, and a jury voted unanimously to imposes a death sentence, according to court documents.
The amended petition states, “(Rivera) presents substantial proof that he is actually innocent of both the crime for which he is on death row and at least one of the similar-transaction offenses introduced at trial, which played a critical role in the jury’s unanimous decision to convict Mr. Rivera of capital murder.”
Rivera’s new attorney contends his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance by not investigating the facts surrounding the killings of Glista and Wilson; and his trial counsel failed to impeach a prosecution witness that had readily available evidence of Rivera’s prior inconsistent statements, the petition states.
Rivera seeks to have his conviction and death sentence vacated, according to the petition.
Rivera’s attorney also filed a request to have further exhibits and court documents sealed from the public. Other viable alternative suspects could have their privacy threatened, and it could jeopardize future police investigations, according to the request.
Marni Glista was found in her home unconscious back in 2000 and died days later in the hospital, according to a previous Aiken Standard article.
According to the article, her murder remained unsolved until an Augusta teen was sexually assaulted, stabbed and left for dead in her home. The sketch the teen helped prepare of her attacker led to the identification of Rivera, the article said.
Rivera confessed in court to the killings of Glista and Wilson, the attack on the teenager and also confessed to the rape and killing of 17-year-old Melisssa Dingess and 17-year-old Tabitha Bosdell, according to the article.
Wilson and Dingess were both from Aiken County.
An FBI agent took the stand during River’s trial and described how Rivera confessed to the killings, in an Augusta hospital, of the two Aiken County teenagers just one day after he tried to commit suicide. He encountered the girls about six months apart and lured them into riding with him to take photographs for a modeling opportunity, the article said.
The agent testified that Rivera sexually assaulted and strangled Wilson in his van while her infant child was in the vehicle.
Tripp Girardeau is the crime and courts reporter with the Aiken Standard. Follow him on Twitter at @trippgirardeau.
