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A Single Hair

After a severely flawed trial, Michael Rivera was convicted of killing a little girl. New DNA evidence may help him.

A A A Comments (3) By Bob Norman Thursday, Jun 28 2001

Even if Rivera beats the odds and his death sentence is overturned, he has a life sentence to carry out for the attempted murder of the girl at Green Glades. But Rivera now contends he is innocent of that crime, too. If he were to somehow go free, would he return to his sexually deviant and dangerous ways? "I would be OK now," he answers. "I still fantasize but not about what I used to fantasize about. Now it's females on television or a female that I correspond with."

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McClain believes in his heart the state is prepared to execute an innocent man

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In prison Rivera says he's developed a routine of reading (mostly the Bible), writing letters, exercising, and watching his 13-inch black-and-white TV. He's converted to Judaism (hence the yarmulke) and has unofficially changed the spelling of his first name to "Michayl," which is the name he uses in an ad on a Website called prisonpenpals.com. "I'm not into games," he writes in the ad, "because life is too short and has gotten much shorter since being convicted unjustly and being placed here on Death Row in 1987. I need help because these people are serious about taking my life. I'm not all gloomy mind you. I enjoy a great joke and I do smile a lot, although not as much as I used to, it seems."

The ad sparked a relationship with a Dutch citizen, his new fantasy woman. "She's very nonjudgmental," he says. "She believes me when I say I didn't do it."

Rivera hopes the BSO review will provide a few more believers. "I prayed for it all these years, all these years, that the truth would come out," he says. Now it's up to science to determine if the truth is really on the side of Rivera, whose life may depend upon a single hair.

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Chemaine Camacho 04/15/2012 1:40:00 PM

I remember this story. I met Mr. Rivera a short time before this at Big Daddy’s Lounge on St rd 7 he was very strange and made me very uncomfortable we all went out to breakfast at Denny’s where I worked and then back to a friend’s house and someone invited him not sure who. I remember he was very strange around the children in the house and to me it looked like he was more interested in little boys I soon left after that and went home at the time I lived across from BA High School not a safe neighborhood at all but all I could afford at the time.. A few week's later I was coming out of my apt to throw the garage away at about the time of dismissal for BA and I see Mr. Rivera backing into a spot to park I didn’t want him to see me or know where I lived since he creped me out so much so I ducked into my apt. however if I’m not mistaken he was driving a car that day not a truck. I did report this to some of the BSO that frequently came into Denny’s and two detectives came by my apt to talk to me the also drove me by his house in a car with tinted windows and asked me to point out the car I did and I also had to pick him out of a photo line up. I also remember a guy that use to call the pay phone outside the door of big daddy’s alot around the same time we met Mr. Rivera that wanted to talk and you could tell he was masturbating on the other end me and my friends thought it was funny and use to like to mess with him on the phone. I also remember that whenever I walked to work each day there was a white car 4 door i remember that use to circle the streets right by the dennys rest and try to lure girls to his window he was probably 40 or so he tried to get me a few time he would drive by and ask me where he could get a good cup of coffee and did I need a ride I’m wearing a Denny’s uniform really. I knew in my gut if I went near his car I would regret it so I just kept on walking it was just one of those gut feeling you get when something is not right.. I could of been Mr. Rivera but it also could of been the guy in the white car kind of like a Chrysler or ford square box looking thing I saw both on the that day 1/20/86 the white the day before. To add more strange to this very strange event in my life we had a group of physics’ that came in regularly. not that I believe in physics’ but a several weeks before one of the told me one day I would be walking to work and someone would offer me a ride don’t take it, it will be your last I had forgotten all about it since I don’t believe in physics until that evening when they came in as usual and he said to me it happened didn’t it? I had not remembered until that moment. he then said if you would of gotten that car you would be dead right now they were talking about the white car. Not sure if this makes sense to anyone or if it helps either side find the truth but I thought I would share just in case. I hope this will help you find the truth for Stacy and her family.

jane 10/27/2010 6:37:00 PM

at the time of her murder I lived 4 houses away sadly never knew her ..i will always keep Staci and her family in my heart and prayers..Lauderdale Lakes was/is dangerous .

Dana 10/12/2010 4:08:00 AM

I went to school with Staci, we were in the same grade and she sat in front of me in beginners band class. We were in the 6th grade at Lauderdale Lakes Middle School, she played the flute. I will never forget the weeks that followed her abduction and later to find out her murder. I still to this day think about her and her family. What happened to her changed my view on the world as I sat their day after day looking at her empty seat and passing out flyers everywhere my friends and I could while keeping hope that she would come home. I, to young, understood the evil this world had to offer when the news broke of her murder. My heart and prayers are still with her and her family. She will never be forgotten.

A Single Hair

After a severely flawed trial, Michael Rivera was convicted of killing a little girl. New DNA evidence may help him.

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