Overview
- Emilio Rivera was taken into custody on Nov. 14 in Buckeye and booked into Maricopa County jail on counts of first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.
- A judge set Rivera’s bond at $1 million cash, and his next court date is scheduled for Nov. 20.
- Police found Rhiana Kemplin with a gunshot wound at her Avondale apartment around 6 a.m. on Nov. 8, and she later died at the hospital.
- Investigators reported a 9mm shell casing in Kemplin’s bedroom and recovered a 9mm Glock 43 and a ski mask during searches tied to Rivera, with officials citing a ballistics match to the weapon.
- Court records describe a forced entry where a masked gunman twice pulled a trigger at Kemplin’s mother before fleeing, and they note a prior altercation and tire-slashing spree that led to Rivera’s earlier arrest on criminal-damage charges.