![\"Rivera](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/NPQHIIPDH5DTVFJIDPNM57ZIXI.JPG\")
Defendant Carlos Rivera of Stapleton is shown during opening arguments on Nov.7, 2025.Steve White for the Advance\/SILive.com<\/p>\nSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 As jurors assigned to the Carlos Rivera manslaughter trial begin their deliberations on Monday, there are two things they\u2019ll have to consider. <\/p>\n
The first is whether it was Rivera\u2019s knife that ended up in the heart of Joel Badillo, 41, of Stapleton, on the afternoon of June 17, 2024. Or did Badillo unintentionally stab himself with his own knife as the two men fought in the street?<\/p>\n
If jurors decide it was Rivera\u2019s knife that killed Badillo, the next question is whether the violent scene that afternoon on a commercial block on Broad Street was an act of self-defense. <\/p>\n
Rivera, also a Stapleton resident, is facing charges of first-degree manslaughter, criminal possession of a knife and tampering with evidence. The top count alone carries a sentence ranging from eight years to 25 years in prison, given the defendant\u2019s criminal record. <\/p>\n
\u2018I realize this sounds a little crazy\u2019Defendant Carlos Rivera of Stapleton is shown during opening arguments on Nov.7, 2025.Steve White for the Advance\/SILive.com<\/p>\n
Defense attorney Christina Paliogiannis presented photos of the two knives collected by NYPD at the scene, while proposing that Badillo might have stabbed himself in the fracas as he was raining down blows on the defendant. <\/p>\n
She pointed to the autopsy report, which indicated a puncture wound of four to five inches, but no sign of bruising from the top of a knife\u2019s handle which often is the case in stabbings.<\/p>\n
Badillo\u2019s knife, the defense pointed out, did not have a prominent handle or \u201chilt,\u201d while Rivera\u2019s knife did.<\/p>\n
\u201cI realize this sounds a little crazy,\u201d said Paliogiannis in introducing the theory. \u201cBut I want you to watch this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
At one point during the fight, which Paliogiannis presented to the jury as a freeze-framed image, it appeared Badillo\u2019s own knife could have made contact with his torso. <\/p>\n
Both knives used in the fight were recovered at the scene by responding police, but forensics were unable to clearly determine which knife entered Badillo, according to trial testimony by law enforcement. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe question isn\u2019t \u2018did he actually stab himself?\u2019\u201c said Paliogiannis. <\/p>\n
\u201dThe question you have to answer is, \u2018have they proven to you beyond all reasonable doubt that it was Carlos\u2019 knife?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
\u2018Use common sense\u2019: Prosecution<\/p>\n
The prosecution, in countering the argument, also freeze-framed an image to present in summations. <\/p>\n
In their image, Rivera is in a seated position on the street when he swings his knife up toward Badillo, appearing to make contact or nearly make contact with Badillo\u2019s chest. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see it for yourself right here in the video,\u201d said Assistant District Attorney Arda Ozdinc. \u201cLook at it with your own eyes and use common sense.\u201d <\/p>\n
Self-defense or manslaughter?![\"Fatal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763417121_516_F3VIA2POTRH67E5PDOSNPAEBUU.JPG\")
Police investigators survey the scene of the fatal stabbing on June 17, 2024, near Broad and Gordon streets in Stapleton.Scott R. Axelrod<\/p>\n
A series of surveillance videos viewed by the jury show a verbal altercation between the two men, followed by two fights that occurred minutes apart.<\/p>\n
Rivera did not elaborate on what was said during the argument, but said he was shocked when Badillo drew a knife on him during the first dust-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know his kids, he knew my kids. I was angry that someone I knew so long just disregarded our relationship,\u201d Rivera testified<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rivera \u2014 who stands about 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds \u2014 said he was trying to walk away from the first fight when he heard Badillo calling people and saying things like \u201cone way or another this ends today.\u201d<\/p>\n Rivera said whoever Badillo was calling was likely dangerous, based on what he said was Badillo\u2019s involvement with gangs. And that he saw Badillo using Facetime to show someone what he was wearing.<\/p>\n Rivera said he didn\u2019t know where people were coming from, and he was scared if he ran toward his house nearby he would run into them. So, he felt attacking Badillo with a knife was the best way to end the threat.<\/p>\n \u201cDid Joel know where you lived?\u201d asked Paliogiannis.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d replied Rivera.<\/p>\n Rivera was seen in the video approaching Badillo and swinging a knife at him. But he missed, and Badillo got the better of him. The video showed Badillo then standing over Rivera in the street, raining down blows and puncture wounds with his own knife. Rivera was on his back, swinging his knife wildly.<\/p>\n Badillo then backed off, walked slowly about 25 feet and collapsed in front of a deli near Broad and Gordon streets. The video showed Rivera holding a stab wound on his thigh as he approached Badillo.<\/p>\n \u201cI went to try to see what was wrong,\u201d said Rivera, as he turned his head away from the video showing Badillo\u2019s collapse to the pavement.<\/p>\n When asked about the knife he was carrying that day, Rivera said he took it everywhere for protection because he lived in a dangerous neighborhood. \u201cWe all carry knives for protection, myself included,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Finally, Paliogiannis asked what was going through his head during the second and final altercation as Badillo was punching, stabbing and kicking him.<\/p>\n \u201cI just wanted it to stop,\u201d said Rivera. \u201cI had plans that day, I just wanted to see my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018You chose to fight\u2019 Prosecutors have argued that if Rivera was scared of Badillo, he had the opportunity to run home rather than cross back over the street to fight him.<\/p>\n During cross examination Friday, Ozdinc pointed to the moment Rivera crossed back over the street and swung a knife at Badillo, rather than walking in a different direction.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you chose to fight?\u201d questioned Ozdinc.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this particular moment, yes,\u201d replied Rivera, who insisted it was the best choice to avoid being hunted down by Badillo\u2019s friends.<\/p>\n Ozdinc then froze a portion of the video as the second fight was unfolding. \u201cWould you say you were in an aggressive stance there?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n After a brief pause, Rivera replied, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Joel is in a defensive stance?\u201d asked Ozdinc, who took a firm tone with the defendant throughout.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d replied Rivera.<\/p>\n \u201cWere you mad you had just lost a fight?\u201d poked Ozdinc, referring to the first fight down the block.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a fight, he stabbed me,\u201d said Rivera.<\/p>\n Once friends from similar backgrounds Both Rivera and Badillo have roots in Puerto Rico, but spent much of their lives in and around Stapleton. Both have large, seemingly tight-knit families.<\/p>\n On Facebook, Badillo\u2019s mother at one point posted that God would provide justice for her son. Her feed was flooded with photos of children and grandchildren.<\/p>\n Moments after the fatal street fight, as police arrived, Badillo\u2019s adult son arrived to the scene distraught. Police had to hold him back from the crime scene.<\/p>\n Rivera, 38, also has children.<\/p>\n On the witness stand Friday, he said he assumed many of the parenting responsibilities, including parent-teacher conferences. He said he was working at the time in construction and as a mechanic.<\/p>\n Friendship complicated by drugs, gangs<\/p>\n Rivera said he first met Badillo about 20 years ago, when they were both battling substance abuse and would use together.<\/p>\n In 2016, they were both convicted as part of a drug investigation on Staten Island dubbed \u201cOperation Hit the Town.\u201d<\/p>\n It was around that same time that Badillo and other co-defendants in the case were in a crowded holding cell, when they jumped a man and fractured his skull, according to Rivera\u2019s testimony Friday.<\/p>\n Rivera \u2014 also known as \u201cShorty\u201d among friends and neighbors in Stapleton \u2014 said Badillo told him about the assault weeks later, describing it as a gang initiation.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were trying to recruit me,\u201d recalled Rivera. \u201cI\u2019ve never been into gangs.\u201d<\/p>\n The two men had a falling out in 2022, which Rivera did not elaborate on. He testified that on the day of the stabbing, the disagreement was petty. <\/p>\n According to Rivera, he was walking with a friend that day on Broad Street, when the friend spotted Badillo and crossed the street to see him. Rivera claimed he was in a hurry and tried to pull their mutual friend away from the conversation, which angered Badillo.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 As jurors assigned to the Carlos Rivera manslaughter trial begin their deliberations on Monday,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27300,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-42944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Rivera](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/OLNI4FJ33NANZHZXAH5AUE6XYQ.JPG\")
Assistant District Attorney Arda Ozdinc worked to discredit the defense’s evidence Thursday in the ongoing Carlos Rivera manslaughter trial, while cross-examining their expert witness.(Steve White for the Advance\/SILive.com)<\/p>\n![\"Rivera](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/MVDKZK6YUVEYVH6DNHIPYQZT3Y.JPG\")
Closing arguments were held Monday in the 2024 manslaughter case of Carlos Rivera, who is represented at trial by the Legal Aid Society, including defense attorney Christina Paliogiannis, pictured right. (Steve White for the Advance\/SILive.com)<\/p>\n