MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Bradenton man has been found guilty of shooting and killing his father-in-law, according to a news release from the 12th Judicial Court State Attorney's Office.
Ruben Pioquinto will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum possible sentence of life, the release states. He faces murder charges, as well as aggravated assault with a firearm.
The crime happened back in January 2022. That's when Pioquinto was reportedly driving his car with his father-in-law, Anderson Guerra Rivera, in the front passenger seat and his 15-year-old brother-in-law in the back seat.
While they were stopped at a red light, Pioquinto pointed a handgun at his father-in-law's head and asked him "if he was afraid of dying," the state attorney's office said.
Rivera responded, saying "No." Pioquinto then reportedly pressed the firearm to Rivera's head and shot him to death.
The accused shooter then drove to a secluded area in Palmetto, where prosecutors said he forced the 15-year-old boy to remove Rivera's body from the car.
Deputies from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, who led the investigation, previously said that Rivera's body was dumped on the side of 77th Street East.
Pioquinto threatened his brother-in-law with the gun for over an hour, the release states, saying that if he told anyone what had just happened he would "kill [the boy's] family."
According to previous reports, Pioquinto and the 15-year-old boy then went back to their Bradenton home where the accused shooter fell asleep on the couch.
The sheriff's office received a 911 call from concerned family members in the middle of the night, who also reportedly lived at the same Bradenton home.
That's when deputies said they responded to the home, helped the family members exit safely and "made announcements for [Pioquinto] to surrender." Just before the SWAT team arrived, he came out of the home and was taken into custody, authorities previously stated.
Pioquinto was arrested based on witness statements and other evidence.
His jury trial was held this week at the Manatee County Courthouse. The state attorney's office said sentencing will be scheduled.
The lead prosecutor in the case, Assistant State Attorney Charlie Lawrence said in Thursday's statement, “We are pleased with the jury’s verdict holding the defendant responsible for his horrific actions. While nothing can undo the trauma he inflicted on this family, they can now move forward in life with a sense of justice. This could not have been done without the hard work of the men and women of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bradenton Police Department.”
