ERIE COUNTY, NY - On April 21, Hommys Rivera-Lopez, 26, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter for the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Emmanuel Correa-Villegas.
The victim was shot on Oct. 16, 2018, inside La Casa De Sabores located at the intersection of Letchworth and Dart streets. Correa-Villegas was taken to a local hospital, where he died the next day.
Rivera-Lopez immediately fled the area, and was eventually located in Puerto Rico, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.
The Buffalo News reported:
Rivera-Lopez was arraigned in September 2019 on second-degree murder and weapons possession charges. The U.S. Marshals Service brought him back to Buffalo from Puerto Rico, where authorities say he fled after the killing.
Rivera-Lopez remains in the Erie County Jail on a federal hold, while awaiting sentencing.
He faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on May 26.
*It should be noted that several local news outlets, including CBS affiliate WIBV-TV, have repeatedly described this killer as a "Niagara Falls man," though his ICE Hold says otherwise.
