Carlos Rivera-Rivera thought Edgardo Bermudez-Melendez had set him up to be jumped.
On March 13, Rivera-Rivera shot Bermudez-Melendez inside a York City garage, shoved him into his car, and proceeded to shoot him multiple times from the driver’s seat though the back seat, according to court records released Friday.
Police said he then drove to Lancaster with an accomplice and rolled his victim’s body down an embankment.
Two days later, he paid two people to deliver Rivera-Rivera’s Nissan Altima and Bermudez-Melendez’s Mazda to an associate in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, who was “very familiar with vehicles in terms of repairing and disassembling them,” police said.
Bermudez-Melendez’s body was found March 19 by members of a youth group hiking on a nearby trail.
Police charged Rivera-Rivera earlier this week with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and destruction of evidence.
Pennsylvania Turnpike records showed the Mazda, Nissan and a green Toyota Corolla traveling on the turnpike to New Jersey using temporary license plates, but only the green Toyota Corolla returned through the turnpike, according to police.
The night of the killing, Rivera-Rivera met Bermudez-Melendez at Angel Jomar Santiago-Torres’ garage on 454 W. Gas Ave. in York City, according to police.
Santiago-Torres told police he was in a separate room when he heard a “boom” and witnessed Rivera-Rivera load Bermudez-Melendez’s corpse into Rivera-Rivera’s Nissan Sedan’s trunk, police said. Santiago-Torres then saw Rivera-Rivera get in the driver’s seat before shooting him multiple times through the back seat, police said.
Rivera-Rivera and Bermudez-Melendez knew one another for six months leading up to that, and Rivera-Rivera blamed Bermudez-Melendez for him being jumped, police said.
Video recordings from West Gas Avenue showed vehicles entering and leaving the garage March 13, and captured audio of gunshots from within.
On March 15, the day after the killing, Santiago-Torres spent $198.28 at a York City Lowes on a gallon of fast prep interior/exterior cleaner and etcher, four gallons of latex floor paint, a painting tray, painting supplies and a Red Bull drink, according to store receipts from the cash purchase.
When police searched the garage April 1, they noticed it was freshly painted and open paint cans were on the floor.
Cell-phone records showed Rivera-Rivera making several calls through cell towers that corroborate his location during the events, police said.
He also saved a note to his iCloud account asking his family for forgiveness, police said.
District Judge Joel Toluba arraigned Rivera-Rivera on Tuesday and denied him bail. Rivera-Rivera will remain in the York County Prison until his preliminary hearing before Toluba Aug. 29.
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