Man held for trial in Joaquin Rivera case

The Puerto Rican community activist Joaquin Rivera was no stranger to Luis Carrasquillo.

He knew Rivera from Frankford's Latino neighborhood. Rivera, he said, was a "nice guy" and an accomplished musician who played guitar at his own brother's funeral.

So Carrasquillo was stunned on Nov. 28 when he drove a friend to the emergency room at Aria Health-Frankford Campus, took a seat, and spotted Rivera a few feet away - dead. He was even more shocked, he said, when two men removed Rivera's watch, examined it, and left.

On Monday, Carrasquillo told a Philadelphia judge that Richard Alten was one of the men he saw steal Rivera's watch.

After a brief preliminary hearing, Municipal Court Judge David C. Shuter ordered Alten, 45, held for trial on robbery, theft, conspiracy, and receiving stolen property.

Alten, who police say is homeless and has a history of arrests involving alcohol and illegal drug use, remains in custody with bail set at $2,500. He had been free on bail but failed to show for a March 18 hearing and was arrested on a bench warrant.

Alten was one of three people charged in the watch theft. Martin Smith, 41, and Jannira Walker, 21, pleaded guilty this year. Smith was sentenced to three years' probation; Walker, who stood near the men as a lookout, got two years' probation.

Police said Rivera walked into the Frankford hospital about 11 p.m. on Nov. 28 complaining of chest pains.

Carrasquillo testified that he arrived at the waiting area about 11:45 and knew Rivera was dead. He said that Rivera was pale and did not appear to be breathing, and that his head was tilted back over the chair and his bowels and bladder had released.

He watched Alten and another man for about five minutes as they sat next to Rivera. "They knew I was watching," Carrasquillo testified, "but they were being real shady about it."

One man removed the watch and handed it to Alten, who examined the timepiece, he said.

Carrasquillo said he could not see who kept the watch. He said one man left and Alten was called for a medical appointment. Carrasquillo then told hospital security that Rivera was dead, he said, and that two men had stolen the watch.

Public Defender Christopher J. Keller argued that Shuter should dismiss all counts against Alten, since the watch was never found on him or among his belongings.

Keller also questioned if robbery was a proper charge. "You cannot rob a corpse," he argued.

But Shuter agreed with Assistant District Attorney Jessalyn Gillum that there was enough evidence to hold Alten for trial.

Gillum said afterward that Rivera's watch was found with one of Alten's alleged accomplices.

Rivera's apparent moment of death and the theft were captured by a hospital security camera.

Some witnesses said Rivera sat almost an hour before hospital staff responded to him. At a City Council meeting in February, an Aria Health executive acknowledged that hospital staff did not follow company policy requiring periodic checks on patients.