Crime & SafetyUpdated: Nov. 14, 2025, 8:12 p.m.|Published: Nov. 14, 2025, 8:06 p.m.
Defendant Carlos Rivera, 38, of Stapelton, left, is charged with manslaughter in the 2024 stabbing death of Joel Badillo, 41, of Stapleton. He took the witness stand Friday on his own behalf.Steve White for the Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— Taking the witness stand Friday on his own behalf, manslaughter defendant Carlos Rivera spoke about prior drug use, gang-related violence and other perils of a criminal lifestyle on the borough’s North Shore.
But at the crux of his testimony were the moments leading up to the 2024 stabbing death of Joel Badillo, a man he had known for two decades before a recent falling out.
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