A young woman discovered her brother had been murdered in a chilling way on social media, just moments after he left the family home.
Christina Rae, 25, from Austin, Texas, last saw her brother, Josh Rivera, 28, briefly at their parents home when he left just to run some 'errands'.
He told her he would be back soon but by the following day, Josh had not appeared.
Christina recalled: "As I was pulling up to my parent's, I saw Josh and spoke to him for 30 minutes or so. He said he needed to run some errands, but he would be right back.
Advert
"Little did I know that would be the last time I saw him alive."
His older brother, Henry, 32, then posted on Facebook to ask if anyone had seen him while his sister, Mia, 13, told Christina that Josh had never come home the next day.
Tragically, it later transpired that Josh had been gunned down and shot several times by Joshua Fernandovazquez Trezaratti, 46, at a home on Mickelson Drive, Southeast Austin, on October 24, 2023.
Advert
Cops descended on the scene at around 5pm where they found Josh on the floor with the gunshot wounds.
Despite the best efforts of medics, Josh was pronounced dead at the scene.
Now, it has been revealed his sister only came to find out the grim truth about her brother's death the next day after seeing an RIP comment on Facebook.
Christina recalled scrolling on the social media site when she spotted a police report mentioning a death - and saw Josh's black Ford Escape in the image.
Advert
Minutes later, Josh's pal had posted the 'RIP Josh' message just before her mom, Mindy, 46, called her to confirm her brother had been killed.
The social media marketer reflected on the moment, stating: "When I got the call to say that Josh wasn't home, I remember telling everyone not to panic.
"I thought he would have just spent the night at someone's."
Advert
After seeing the police report online and his best buddy's comment, she said her mom 'called [her] screaming hysterically'.
"We were having so many people message us on Facebook asking if it was true that Josh was dead," she continued.
"Minutes later, my mom called me. She was screaming her head off that Josh was murdered, she kept screaming down the phone.
"I remember not knowing what to say, but rushing to the school to make sure that our younger sister Mia was OK."
Advert
During the trial in July this year, the court heard how Trezaratti is alleged to have told his wife to lead Josh to believe she was alone at home to invite him over.
A confrontation was then ignited when Josh allegedly made unwelcome sexual advances towards his wife, while he lay in waiting in a nearby room, armed with a shotgun.
After a physical struggle, Trezaratti reportedly retrieved a handgun which he used to deliver the fatal blows to Josh.
Advert
The young man's ex-partner, Arleen Juarez, 34, said: "I do believe his murder was pre-planned, and I do believe that he was tricked.
"It makes me feel sad. Whatever they thought about Josh, they had no reason to take his life.
"They took a father from his children, they took a son, a brother, a man who was very loved by his family."
On Friday, July 18, Trezaratti was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 18 years behind bars at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Advert
Christina has since said the 18-year sentence is not long enough, calling it a 'slap in the face' for the death of her 'teddy bear' brother.
"I got to take the stand, so did my dad, Josh's two kids, and my sister.
"I was very angry, I was filled with emotions. It felt like an out-of-body experience. You are facing the person who not only ruined your brother's life but also ruined everyone's around him," she said.
"Trezaratti really thought he was going to win, he cried when he was sentenced.
Advert
"I personally feel like 18 years is not enough for a life.
"My brother only got 28 years on this world, we will spend every day missing him.
"It felt like a slap in the face to all of us."
Topics: Crime, Social Media, Texas, Facebook, Court
Liv Bridge