6-Year-Old Murdered While Saving His Sister From Sexual Assault

“I’ve been with the police for over 20 years and I’ve seen acts of bravery and heroism,” Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson said. “I don’t think any have come close to what that six-year-old did that night to save his sister’s life.”

In 2012, 6-year-old Dominick Andujar sacrificed his own life to save his sister.

On Sept. 12, 2012, Dominick and his two sisters slept upstairs while their 12-year-old sister, Amber, slept on the couch. Their mother was in the hospital; she left the oldest child, a 14-year-old, in charge.

As Amber slept on the couch, Osvaldo Rivera broke into their Camden, NJ, home with nothing on his mind except satisfying his own selfish desire to rape. Seeing the 12-year-old girl sleeping on the couch, Rivera climbed atop of her with a butcher knife in one hand and his other hand firmly placed over her mouth. He leaned forward, whispering in her ear that he would kill her if she made a noise.

He proceeded to sexually assault the frightened girl, who was far too afraid to make any sounds, fully aware her siblings slept upstairs.

Dominick Saves His Sister

Something woke Dominick. He walked into the living room, seeing Osvaldo on top of his sister. He wasted no time running to the kitchen, retrieving his own knife. Dominick then ran back to the living room and with all his might, began stabbing and poking Osvaldo with the knife.

Osvaldo stabbed Amber in the neck before he grabbed Dominick and sliced his neck open. Amber escaped, running to the neighbor’s house for help. Dominick’s lifeless body fell to the floor and Osvaldo fled to his mother’s house. She drove him to a secluded area in Camden, where police found him hiding between a mattress and wall.

Osvaldo Sentenced

In 2014, Osvaldo was found guilty of Murder, Attempted Murder, Aggravated Sexual Assault, Burglary, Terroristic Threats, Felony Murder – Aggravated Sexual Assault, Felony Murder – Burglary, two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and two weapons counts.

At his trial, he admitted to sexually assaulting a 2-year-old the month prior to this attack. He was sentenced to 110-years in prison plus an additional 15-years for raping the 2-year-old, the sentence to run concurrently with the first sentence. He will be eligible for parole in 2096, age 115, practically ensuring he dies behind bars.

No New Trial

In 2017, Osvaldo appealed the conviction and requested a new trial, objecting to Superior Court Judge Michelle Fox using the word “lesser” in her instructions to the jury. Osvaldo argued that using this word resulted in jurors sentencing him to the most severe punishment instead of the most appropriate.

At his original trial, his attorney asked jurors to convict Osvlado of aggravated manslaughter instead of murder because he was drunk at the time he committed the crime.

Authorities initially suspected that Osvaldo was high on PCP-laced marijuana when they arrested him. Toxicology reports later revealed he did not have any illicit drugs in his system. The attorney did not mention that her client was drunk during the original trial.

The appeals court dismissed the appeal, stating that it was Osvaldo’s attorneys who asked for the explanation of the degrees of charges to the juror. The judges said that case law dictates that a defendant cannot request a procedure or action at trial, and then object to it after the outcome was unfavorable to him or her.

*Criminal Matters will ALWAYS proudly support the death penalty specifically because monsters like Osvaldo Rivera exist.*

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