Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that a jury has found 26-year-old Roberto Leon of Buffalo guilty, as charged, of one count of Murder in the Second Degree and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. The jury rendered their verdict after less than an hour of deliberations.

On November 28, 2017, at approximately 8:15 p.m., the defendant fatally shot 25-year-old Luis Rivera of Buffalo on Center Lane in Buffalo’s Riverside neighborhood.

Leon faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced by State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller on Friday, March 8, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. He remains remanded without bail.

DA Flynn commends the investigative work of the Buffalo Police Department Homicide Squad, including Det. Patricia Wrest and Det. Sgt. Carl Lundin.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Nicholas T. Texido of the DA’s Training/Special Projects Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Rebecca L. Schnirel of the DA’s Domestic Violence Bureau.