Orlando man arrested for role in Haggins case; fund set up for family

Luis Rivera Sr., 49, has bonded out of jail after being arrested for his role in the death of 16-year-old Bruce “B.J.” Haggins Jr., whose body was discovered in a shallow grave in east Orange County.

By Amy Quesinberry Price
| 9:20 p.m. June 13, 2019

Warriors remember B.J. Haggins. Photo by Thomas Lightbody / TK Photography

West Orange Times & Observer
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Luis Rivera Sr., 49, was arrested Friday, June 7, on multiple charges relating to Bruce “B.J.” Haggins Jr.’s May 31 abduction and killing but has since bonded out of the Orange County Jail. The judge set the amount at more than $10,000.

WAKE PLANNED, FUND SET UP

Family and friends still are working on funeral arrangements but have scheduled a wake for 6 p.m. Friday and an after-funeral gathering at West Orange Dream Center, 1136 E. Plant St., Winter Garden. Food is needed to feed B.J.’s family and West Orange High School football teammates, and donations can be dropped off at the center. To make arrangements for food donations, call Eric Schwalbach at (407) 616-4036.

A family friend, Jed Ebersole, set up a GoFundMe account — In Memory of Bruce “BJ” Haggins Jr. — with a goal of $12,000. The money raised will help the Haggins family with funeral expenses.

“Bruce was a kind, gentle soul that impacted the lives of so many of us,” Ebersole wrote on his fundraising page. “His smile was infectious, and you always knew that Bruce would lighten up your day. His personality, his presence and his huge heart is something we all will never forget.”

Haggins’ father issued a statement on Monday: “I love y’all and appreciate everything y’all (are) doing. God bless you all. Bruce and I have much love, y’all. Go fund Bruce, please; he would appreciate it.”

Law-enforcement officials responded to an anonymous tip, which led them to a body buried in a shallow grave in the Wedgefield community in east Orange County. Police positively identified the body of 16-year-old Haggins, Winter Garden Police Chief Steve Graham announced Friday, June 7, in a press conference.

An AMBER Alert had been issued following Haggins’ disappearance on Friday, May 31.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement cancelled the AMBER Alert after Haggins’ body was found in a wooded area.

Photo by Thomas Lightbody / TK Photography

Haggins was abducted near Lincoln Terrace and 11th Street, in Winter Garden — about seven blocks from the home he shared with his father, Bruce Haggins Sr. Police said witnesses heard gunshots, but no evidence was found at the abduction site; police were speculating that Haggins was shot after he got in the car.

Police said they have leads that could bring more arrests. The car was recovered in Sanford.

“We’ve been following a lot of leads, a lot of those came from the AMBER Alert, and those leads actually led us to the discovery of the body,” Graham said.

“We investigate all crimes, and we put all effort especially into a crime of this nature,” he said. “We’re not going to rest until we make sure justice is done.”

Rivera, of Timber Pine Lane, Orlando, was charged with disposing the body, as well as multiple counts of tampering with evidence.

According to the arrest affidavit, witnesses at the scene said Haggins Jr. and another individual, Luis Rivera Jr., met May 31. Haggins Jr. got into a gray Infiniti driven by Rivera Jr., gunshots were fired, and Haggins Jr. appeared slumped over in the car. Rivera Jr. drove off with Haggins Jr. inside and called his father, Luis Rivera Sr., and met him at a body shop in Orlando.

The body shop owner saw Haggins Jr.’s body in the vehicle, as well as a bullet hole in the rear window, according to the affidavit.

Rivera Sr. paid for the repair and later removed video-surveillance equipment from the shop without the owner’s permission, the arrest affidavit read. The Riveras moved Haggins Jr. to another vehicle and drove back to their home in the Wedgefield area, burying him nearby.

Rivera Sr. paid a car-detailing center, owned by the son of the body-shop owner, to remove blood and replace a headrest with a bullet hole, according to the affidavit.

Police say Rivera Sr. bought Rivera Jr. a plane ticket to Connecticut on Saturday, June 1.

On June 7, another Rivera son said he was forced to dispose of the body, which had multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen, according to the affidavit.

author

Amy Quesinberry Price

Community Editor Amy Quesinberry Price was born at the old West Orange Memorial Hospital and raised in Winter Garden. Aside from earning her journalism degree from the University of Georgia, she hasn’t strayed too far from her hometown and her three-mile bubble. She grew up reading The Winter Garden Times and knew in the eighth grade she wanted to write for her community newspaper. She has been part of the writing and editing team since 1990.