Man arrested in death of ex-girlfriend found bludgeoned in shallow grave, NY cops say

A man accused of bludgeoning a woman to death and leaving her body in a shallow grave in Philadelphia was arrested in New York after more than three months on the run, according to authorities.

Geovanni Otero was apprehended by New York State Police on Feb. 15, after initially trying to speed off from state troopers in Westchester County, state police said in a Feb. 16 news release.

Otero, 29, was wanted by Philadelphia police and federal authorities in the death of his 29-year-old ex-girlfriend, Melody Rivera, CBS News reported.

Rivera’s body was found in Philadelphia on Nov. 8, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, which had offered a $5,000 reward for information on Otero’s whereabouts. Her remains had been buried near a park, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

He was last seen with Rivera in Philadelphia on Oct. 31, the U.S. Marshals Service reported.

Attorney information for Otero wasn’t immediately available Feb. 17.

In New York on Feb. 15, state troopers tried to pull him over when he was found driving a vehicle “reported stolen out of Virginia,” state police said.

Otero complied at first before driving away, according to state police.

Troopers pursued him for about one minute until Otero crashed the car, got out of the vehicle and ran away, according to police.

“Troopers quickly apprehended the suspect a short distance from the crash site,” police said.

Otero tried hiding his true identity, authorities said. He had several forms of fake identification, according to police.

His fingerprints ultimately identified him as the fugitive wanted in Rivera’s death, police said.

Otero is currently charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, obstructing governmental administration, false impersonation, unlawful fleeing and reckless driving, according to New York state police.

He “remains in custody pending extradition proceedings” regarding the death investigation, police said.

This story was originally published February 17, 2025 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Man arrested in death of ex-girlfriend found bludgeoned in shallow grave, NY cops say."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.