Bronx triple homicide confounds family, with teen son in police custody

Police have yet to announce charges against a man considered “a person of interest” in the murders of a Bronx man, his partner and their child on Sunday – but his case has already confounded family members, and, according to the man’s lawyer, even the psychiatric doctors evaluating him.

Jayden Rivera, 19, was in police custody at a hospital in Westchester County on Wednesday, waiting to be charged with killing his own father, 38-year-old Jonathan Rivera; his father’s partner, 33-year-old Hanoi Peralta; and the couple’s 5-year-old son, Kayden Rivera.

All three were discovered around 6:40 a.m. in the apartment they shared in Mott Haven on Sunday. All three had sustained multiple stab wounds, according to NYPD officials, and were pronounced dead at the scene. Their deaths were all ruled homicides.

“I've never had a client like this before, in terms of what a wonderful person, what a smart individual, what a gifted individual this is,” said Nicholas Ramcharitar — of the Ramcharitar Law Firm, which is representing Rivera. “This was the type of kid that you would want to have as a parent.”

Ramcharitar said Rivera was excelling in his college courses at SUNY Oswego, until an issue with his financial aid application forced him to transfer to a CUNY school for this semester.

SUNY Oswego said Rivera was enrolled as a student in the fall of 2022 and “did not return” for the spring 2023 semester, or for the start of the current school year.

The teen had no documented history of mental illness, and Ramcharitar said even the psychiatric doctors at Westchester Medical Center are struggling to understand the reason for his alleged violent acts.

“As of right now we just see this a psychotic break,” he said, adding that Rivera would soon be moved to a forensic bed at Bellevue Hospital, which has more appropriate resources to deal with the “severity” of his mental state.

Rivera’s family members were also searching for answers about what could have happened.

“No one knows how to feel because everyone loves Jayden,” cousin Eusebio Baez told Gothamist by phone on Tuesday. “It feels like a horror movie.”

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny detailed some of the victims’ injuries to reporters this week. Jonathan Rivera was found stabbed once in the chest, with a slash wound to his forehead and defense wounds on both hands; Hanoi Peralta was stabbed a total of 15 times, and Kayden was “disemboweled.”

Kenny said the teen’s mother had called 911 earlier that day, reporting that he was “hearing voices.”

He said Jayden Rivera had been babysitting his half-brother the night of the attacks, while his father and his partner were out on a date in Manhattan.

Later, at the hospital, Kenny said Rivera “made some spontaneous utterings that he did something bad, and that he killed somebody.”

Baez, who was also close with Jayden’s father Jonathan, recalled spending lots of time with the teen as he grew up. He said Jayden did not appear to have any mental health issues, was very close with his dad and siblings, and always worked hard in school.

“This kid was like a scholar, you know, first one in the family to go to college. His sisters loved him. He had really good grades,” Baez said.

When he’d come home for holiday breaks, Baez said Jayden would prefer to stay at his dad’s house, even though it meant he’d have to sleep on an air mattress.

“He didn't care about that because he loved hanging out with his dad,” Baez said.” Jonathan is his best friend… his dad got him into snowboarding last year, brought him to the mountains, got him his own snowboard, his own gear.”

Besides snowboarding, Baez said Jayden was passionate about baseball, and was considering trying out for his college team.

“My grandson is a good kid,” said Miguel Angel Rivera, Jonathan Rivera’s father, when reached by phone on Tuesday. “I don't believe my grandson [would] do that,” he said.

Neighbors interviewed by Gothamist at the family’s apartment building on Monday said they heard what sounded like a loud fight in the hallway prior to the stabbings.

Police at the scene recovered a small kitchen knife as well as a pot that was dented, Kenny said, suggesting the victims were beaten after being stabbed. NYPD officials said Jayden had no prior arrest history.

“I heard a big commotion in the hallway,” said Fernando Cruz, 65. “I can't confirm what they were fighting about, but it sounded like there was a big tussle in the hallway, and then I heard banging on the door and stuff like that. It was something crazy.”

Kenny said neighbors heard screaming at various points throughout the night, including someone screaming the Lord's Prayer in Spanish in the hallway.

He also said police recovered bloody clothing and a pair of Jayden Rivera’s sneakers that matched bloody footprints inside the apartment.

“That's the definition of getting stabbed in the back, if that's the case,” Baez said. “You work so hard to give your kids everything, and then your kid turns around and does that to you, you know? So it's just one of those things that's really hard to process, to think that it's even an idea.”