Bradenton man gets life in prison after forcing teen to help cover up murder
A Bradenton man will spend the rest of his life in prison after jurors found he fatally shot his father-in-law at point-blank range and forced a teenager to help hide the body, court records show.
A Manatee County judge sentenced Ruben Pioquinto, 33, to life in prison for killing 33-year-old Anderson Guerra Rivera, according to court records.
The sentence comes after jurors previously convicted Pioquinto of second-degree murder with a firearm and aggravated assault in the 2022 shooting death of his father-in-law following an argument.
Circuit Judge Teri Dees also gave Pioquinto a 21-year sentence for the assault charge, to be served at the same time as the life sentence, records show.
Under Florida law, a second-degree murder conviction with a firearm carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years.
Court records show Pioquinto filed a notice of appeal following his sentencing, signaling he plans to challenge the outcome of the trial. Pioquinto’s attorney declined to comment when contacted by the Bradenton Herald.
Life sentence for fatal shooting
Prosecutors said Pioquinto and Guerra Rivera had been arguing throughout the day on Jan. 18, 2022, when Pioquinto invited him and his 15-year-old brother-in-law to go for a drive in his pickup truck. While stopped at a red light near the Circle K at Ninth Street East and 30th Avenue East in Bradenton, detectives said Pioquinto pointed a handgun at Guerra Rivera and asked, “Are you afraid of dying?” When Guerra Rivera said no, Pioquinto pressed the gun to his left temple and pulled the trigger, killing him instantly, according to an arrest report.
Detectives said Pioquinto then drove toward Palmetto and pulled over in the 200 block of 77th Street East. He ordered the teenager to drag the body from the truck and leave it on the roadside, near the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, according to the report.
On the way back to their home in the 300 block of 21st Avenue West in Bradenton, detectives said Pioquinto stopped and told the teen to wash blood off his hands in a standing body of water. Investigators said he pointed the handgun at the boy several times and threatened to kill him if he told anyone what had happened.
After returning to the house, Pioquinto reportedly fell asleep on the couch. A few hours later, detectives say family members began asking about Guerra Rivera’s whereabouts. When they woke the teen, he appeared visibly upset and told them what had occurred earlier that night, investigators said.
Family sought justice in murder case
After learning what happened from the 15-year-old, detectives say the family members then called 911 before leaving Pioquinto by himself in the home.
Deputies surrounded the house and called for him to surrender. Pioquinto came outside before the SWAT team arrived and was taken into custody without incident, the sheriff’s office said.
In the days after the killing, Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells expressed concern for the teenage witness.
“My thoughts go back to the 15-year-old,” Wells said at a 2022 news conference. “This young kid who is sitting in the backseat, unaware that anything is going to take place. And to see that happen right in front of you. He is going to be traumatized for the rest of his life.”
Following a four-day trial at the Manatee County Courthouse in November 2024, jurors found Pioquinto guilty. Prosecutor Charlie Lawrence said the verdict gave the victim’s family a chance to move forward after an act that caused them lasting trauma.
Guerra Rivera’s wife, Elizabeth Pantaleon, previously told the Bradenton Herald her family wanted only one thing.
“The only thing we want is for there to be justice,” she said through tears outside the courthouse at a 2022 bond hearing.
According to court records, the record on appeal was submitted to the Second District Court of Appeal in May, and the case remains pending.
