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Christopher Rivers was once a business partner with Joseph Connell and had a long-standing grievance over unpaid debts. The victims, Joseph and Olga Connell, died outside their Paladin Club condominium in Delaware on 22nd September 2013.
Christopher Rivers was convicted in 2016 and was sentenced to a life sentence with no possibility of parole. Currently, Christopher is serving two consecutive life terms for his roles as a co-conspirator behind a murder-for-hire that ended with Joseph and Olga Connell both dead.
An episode featuring the case with Christopher Rivers and his double homicide crimes of Joseph and Olga Connell is expected to appear on Dateline: Unforgettable, which is set to be hosted on Oxygen.
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The episode will be broadcast on February 6, 2025, at 8 PM ET. The episode will detail the events of the crime and its aftermath; the insights into the investigation and the trial afterward will provide viewers with enough details about the whole tragic scenario.
The murders of Joseph and Olga Connell
According to The News Journal, on the night of September 22, 2013, Joseph and Olga Connell were shot outside their home in the Paladin Club community. The murder was part of a contract killing plot hatched by Christopher Rivers who, some time ago, had been a business partner of Joseph Connell.
Prosecutors described how Rivers had hired the middlemen to commit the assault due to financial disagreements and tension between the business partners. The investigation revealed that Rivers was under financial pressure and had a history of erratic behavior. Friends and acquaintances described him as increasingly paranoid, often speaking about people coming after him.
According to The News Journal, this paranoia was linked to his drug use, particularly methamphetamine, which kept him awake for days at a time. The case quickly gained media attention due to the cold-blooded nature of the killings and the involvement of multiple suspects.
Trial and conviction of Christopher Rivers
According to The News Journal, on April 11, 2016, Christopher Rivers' trial started. Prosecutors indicated that he planned the killing. The defense sought to exclude the lead events with cooperating testimony from the mastermind of the crime. On the other hand, the prosecution case was fortified by Joshua Bey, an ex-FBI informant.
According to The News Journal, he testified how Rivers aided him financially with legal fees after his arrest. Major witnesses during the trial were Rivers' employees and his girlfriend, who remembered their conversations in which he had dropped hints about his crime.
According to The News Journal, a medical examiner confirmed that Joseph and Olga Connell suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Also, investigators found crucial text messages on Rivers' phone, such as one from Joseph Connell informing Rivers about his whereabouts on the night of the murder.
On April 29, 2016, as reported by The News Journal, the jury convicted Rivers of plotting the murder-for-hire scheme. Though his co-defendant, Dominique Benson, was also initially implicated, the jurors could not be convinced that he had committed the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Rivers received two life sentences without parole.
Legal Appeals and current status
According to The News Journal, Christopher Rivers then appealed his conviction. On 20 March 2018, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the judgment. He claimed no valid ground, and the life sentence he received stood. Other persons connected to the case also suffered legal implications.
Joshua Bey, one of the conspirators in planning the murder-for-hire, was tried separately and convicted. Benson, who had been charged with conspiracy concerning the case, was acquitted of murder but convicted of the conspiracy charge.
Today, Christopher Rivers is in a Delaware prison, serving his life sentence. The case is one of the most talked-about cases because of its details and the betrayal involved. The upcoming Dateline: Unforgettable episode will dive into these happening events and look for more insight into this crime, investigation, and trial.
Watch Dateline: Unforgettable on February 6, 2025, on Oxygen.
