Career criminal accused of killing girlfriend, burying her in shallow grave arrested when a high speed chase through Westchester County, NY ended in a crash and he attempted to escape on foot

Geovanni Otero was pulled over by New York state troopers on Saturday for allegedly driving a car reported stolen from Virginia

Otero, 29, allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend 29-year-old Melody Rivera, then buried her in a shallow grave in Philadelphia in October, 2024

Suspect whose life of crime began as a 12-year-old, was carrying several fake IDs and provided false identification to police

He was flagged as a fugitive murder suspect when cops ran his fingerprints

He is awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania where he is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday

Career criminal Geovanni Otero, [photo], had been on the run since October, wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, 29-year-old Melody Rivera who was found buried in a park. She’d been bludgeoned to death

A Pennsylvania man wanted since November after allegedly bludgeoned his ex-girlfriend to death, then buried her in a shallow grave in Philadelphia city park, was arrested Saturday by police after a high speed chase through Westchester County, New York.
Geovanni Otero, 29, was pulled over by New York state troopers for allegedly driving a car reported stolen from Virginia. The fugitive then sped off, leading officers on a chase that lasted for a mile and ended with the suspect crashing the car and trying to escape on foot

Melody Rivera [photo] vanished after Halloween on Oct 31, 2024, allegedly after a dispute with Otero. Her body was found a week later buried in a shallow grave near Champion Park Playground on Tustin Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia

Shortly after officers caught up to Otero, near the crash scene and he was taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
After the chase concluded, Otero was found with several fake IDs after providing a false identification to officers.
Police identified Otero through his fingerprints, which was when they realized he man wanted for killing 29-year-old Melody Rivera in Philadelphia.

FBI bulletin said Otero has a tattoo of a dagger behind his left ear and the name of his ex-girlfriend tattooed behind his right ear. [photo]. He was considered ‘armed and dangerous

The US Marshals Service has been searching for Otero since November 8, when authorities found Rivera beaten to death and buried in a shallow grave in Philadelphia’s Fox Chase neighborhood.
In the agency’s bulletin, it said Otero has a tattoo of a dagger behind his left ear and the name of his ex-girlfriend tattooed behind his right ear. He was considered ‘armed and dangerous.’
The bulletin also said Otero and Rivera were last seen ‘on October 31, 2024 at 7:00pm on the 900 block of Sanger Street.’
The US Marshals were offering a $5,000 reward for any information on Otero.
Rivera’s mother Maritza Garcia said she last saw her daughter on Halloween as well. Garcia reported her daughter missing 12 hours later.
Otero is being held in New York awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Otero and Rivera were last seen ‘on Oct 31, 2024 at 7:00pm on Sanger Street, Philadelphia. On Nov. 8 officers removed Rivera’s body from the Champion Park Playground where she had been buried

Otero whose criminal history dates back 17 years, when he was just 12 years old, was recently released from state prison on a firearms-related charge.
After Rivera the mother of an an 11-year-old daughter vanished, her family spent six days searching for her. The possible motive for her killing remains unclear. However, Otero had an argument with the victim before she went missing, prompting the initial search and investigation, police said.