Note to Jesus found in Bible ends child sex victim's ordeal

A child’s note found in a Bible led police to the arrest and conviction of a Covington man for several sex crimes.

The case was launched on Oct. 7, 2013 when officials at a local grade school reported that a child had been sexually abused.

Detectives said a note from an 8-year-old child was addressed to Jesus and was found in a Bible.

In the note, the child said Eric Rivera had abused her for several years. Police interviewed the child who told detectives the abuse began when she was 6 years old.

The child described multiple incidents of abuse, including instances where Rivera would show her porn from magazines and on his cellphone.

When police searched Rivera’s home, officers said they found the porn exactly where the child had described it. A search of Rivera’s phone and computer found 186 images of porn.

Eric Rivera / Mundo Hispánico

After a nearly two-year-long trial, Rivera pleaded guilty to first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse and other offenses.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Kate Bennett recommended a sentence of 25 years. Rivera must serve 20 years before being eligible for parole and will have to register as a sex offender upon release.

“Although 25 years doesn’t seem like enough for the Defendant to serve based on the heinous and unspeakable crimes he committed, it saves the child victim from being further traumatized by reliving her nightmare of abuse,” Bennett said. “The law mandates a Defendant has the right to ‘face his accuser,’ regardless of whether the accuser is an adult or a young child. In addition, a guilty plea means that the Defendant forfeits his right to appeal, so the victim gets closure rather than years of uncertainty.”

Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders released a statement saying, “Although there is no amount of time that would be a ‘fair trade,’ this conviction guarantees a child molester will spend over two decades behind bars.”

Rivera will be sentenced on July 13 in Kenton County Court.