NASHUA, N.H. (Court TV) — A New Hampshire man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury found him guilty of fatally shooting two people.
In January, a jury convicted Victor Rivera of two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Patricia Swett and Matthew Champagne. On March 10, Judge Jacki Smith sentenced Rivera to 40 years to life for each count, to be served consecutively.
Victor Rivera testifies in his murder trial Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Court TV)
Surveillance video played at trial of the parking lot showed Rivera approaching the couple, and the three appear to argue before Rivera pulled out a handgun and fired.
In their opening statement, Rivera’s defense acknowledged he is the man seen on surveillance video gunning down Swett and Champagne in a downtown Nashua parking lot, but they urged jurors to keep an impartial mind. The defense argued Rivera never formed a criminal intent, because he was “so shocked, stunned and overwhelmed” when he found out that his friend and ex-girlfriend were dating, which enraged Rivera because he had previously accused them of being romantically involved while he was dating Swett, but they denied it.
Rivera took the stand during his trial and admitted to firing his gun a total of seven times, but said his memory was “blurry.”
DAILY TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS
DAY 6 – 3/10/25
- Patricia Swett and Matthew Champagne’s family and friends delivered victim impact statements to the Court.
- Victor Rivera apologized in an address to the Court.
- The judge sentenced Rivera to two consecutive terms of 40 years to life.
DAY 5 – 1/14/25
- State and Defense deliver closing arguments. A particularly emotional moment came when the prosecutor stated that Rivera’s Glock 23 was a semiautomatic pistol, and so he would have had to pull the trigger each and every time he fired it. Therefore, he made the conscious decision to pull the trigger exactly seven times.
- The jury reaches a verdict:
- Guilty of second-degree murder for the death of Patricia Swett.
- Guilty of second-degree murder for the death of Matthew Champagne.
- Jury found guilty on all four charged counts, but two will merge as a matter of law.
- WATCH: Verdict Is Reached in Bad Breakup Murder Trial
DAY 4 – 1/13/25
- Defendant Victor Rivera took the stand in his own defense.
- Told the jury that Patricia Swett is the one who broke up with him via text.
- Said that he saw Swett at Slade’s bar often after the breakup but they never spoke.
- Found out Swett and Champagne were dating via barroom chatter at Slade’s.
- Admits he grabbed his gun the night of the shooting but it was a habit, and that there was no particular threat to him.
- Video was played in which it appears Rivera shoots Swett, turns around, then shoots Champagne.
- Says his memory is blurry when asked if he also pointed his gun at Patricia down on the ground and shot her.
- Rivera admitted shooting a firearm, hitting Swett in the eye, and seeing her collapse and die.
- Admitted shooting the gun a total of seven times; did not dispute that he fired the weapon.
DAY 3 – 1/10/25
- Firearms examiner Jill Therriault explained ballistics to the jury, removed the gun from the evidence box, held it up for the jury and explained all the mechanics.
- Therriault explained how she determined all six bullets came from the same firearm.
- She also concluded that all of the cartridge cases were fired in Rivera’s Glock 23.
- Medical Examiner Mitchell L. Weinberg described performing the autopsy and how he came to determine that Patricia Swett and Matthew Champagne died from multiple gunshot wounds and that the cause of death for both victims was homicide.
- State rested its case-in-chief
DAY 2 – 1/9/25
- Det. Michael Kekejian narrated surveillance video from the parking lot where Patricia Swett and Matt Champagne were fatally shot.
- Nicole Weldy, an employee at the bar, testified about the secrecy of Patricia Swett and Matthew Champagne’s relationship.
- Facebook messages between Victor Rivera and a friend were displayed in court. The defendant sent messages such as: “I just did something I can’t take back,” “Tell my mom I will always love her,” and “I f—ed up without a doubt.”
DAY 1 – 1/8/25
- Jury view took place before openings. Jurors saw the public parking lot in which Swett and Champagne were shot to death.
- Prosecution and Defense deliver openings
- Victor Rivera’s public defender, Maya Dominguez, acknowledged Rivera is the man seen on surveillance video gunning down Tricia Swett and Matt Champagne in a downtown Nashua parking lot, but she urged jurors to keep an impartial mind until Rivera takes the stand.
- Dominguez said Rivera never formed a criminal intent, because he was “so shocked, stunned and overwhelmed” when he found out that his friend and ex-girlfriend were dating. This revelation purportedly enraged Rivera because he had previously accused Swett and Champagne of being romantically involved — while Rivera and Swett were still in a relationship, and — according to Rivera — they “gaslit” him and convinced him he was mistaken. Once they had convinced Rivera there was nothing going on between them, the pair then sought an apology from Rivera for lodging the accusation, and he did so at that time.
