Christian Rivera-Pica and Joel Pagan-Garcia (Photos courtesy: Brown County Jail)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Two suspects in a November 2023 murder entered not guilty pleas and are set for trial later this year.
Christian Rivera-Pica, 41, and Joel Pagan-Garcia, 40, are charged with party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide for the murder of Carlos Otero-Aviles on the west side. Their arraignments were held Monday, court records show.
Pagan-Garcia is scheduled for trial Dec. 1, while Rivera-Pica has a Dec. 8 trial date set. Prosecutors have filed a motion to have the two tried together.
The shooting happened Nov. 3, 2023, in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 1700 block of Western Avenue. Witnesses said the incident took place during a party. No one else was injured.
Rivera-Pica denied involvement in the shooting to police. He said he buying beer at the time of the shooting, but police could not confirm the alibi with the stores, according to the criminal complaint.
Pagan-Garcia also denied involvement in the shooting.
Otero-Aviles told bystanders “Christian did it,” before he was taken to the hospital.
Phone GPS records placed Rivera-Pica at the shooting scene at the time of the incident, the complaint states.
Otero-Aviles was shot in the abdomen, causing his death, according to the autopsy cited in the complaint.
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