Bronx Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Pot Deal/Murder after Dumping Corpse in Danbury

Heriberto Gonzalez, 31, of the Bronx, who participated in a drug dealer rip off and murder that led to a corpse being dumped in Danbury, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for his role.

According to evidence presented in Gonzalez' trial and in the trial of his co-defendant Andrew Zayac of Scarsdale, N.Y., Gonzalez and Zayac agreed to buy 68 pounds of marijuana from Edward Rivera, 37, also of the Bronx. They agreed to buy the pot but secretly agreed between themselves to rip off Rivera.

According to trial evidence, they met Rivera on Feb. 8, 2009, and kidnapped him. During the kidnapping and robbery, Rivera was shot twice in the head and died. The men dumped his body in Danbury. They drove back to the Bronx and burned his car.

About three weeks later, Police searched Zayac's house and found 61 pounds of marijuana. Zayac was then arrested. Gonzalez was arrested on June 17, 2009. On June 21, a jury found Gonzalez was found guilty of one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, three counts of destruction/concealment of evidence, and one count of conspiracy to destroy/conceal evidence.  The jury found Gonzalez not guilty of kidnapping, murder, robbery and firearms charges related to Rivera’s death.

On July 22, a jury found Zayac guilty of one count of kidnapping resulting in death, one count of murder during the commission of a robbery, one count of interference with commerce through the use of violence, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of conspiracy to use or possess a firearm in furtherance of crimes of violence and a narcotics trafficking offense, three counts of destruction/concealment of evidence, and one count of conspiracy to destroy/conceal evidence.  The jury found Zayac not guilty of one count of premeditated murder. Zayac is scheduled to be sentenced on November 21, 2011, at which time he faces a mandatory term of imprisonment of life on the murder charges.