Viswa Vanapalli
Gloria Rivera, a 25-year-old, was shot outside her apartment one day in September 1993 in Connecticut. Her killer was her ex-girlfriend, Lucy Cruz, who fled the scene and went on the run before finally turning herself in to the police a few weeks later. This is one of the three cases that is explored on Investigation Discovery’s ‘Deadly Women: Fatal Fixation.’ Curious to know what happened in this case and where Lucy Cruz might be now? Here’s everything we know!
Who is Lucy Cruz?
Lucy Cruz and Gloria Rivera had struck up a relationship, and at the start, the two were happy and very much in love. The 13 year age difference between them didn’t seem to be much of an issue. Gloria had even gotten Lucy’s name tattooed on her to symbolize her love for Lucy. But as time went on, cracks started to appear in their relationship, and Gloria spent more time out late with friends. After about three years together, Gloria decided to end things with Lucy because, at that point, Gloria had wanted to start a family. Gloria had moved out of Lucy’s apartment, but she still lived in the same area with some friends.
Lucy was not okay with the break-up and had gotten angrier over time. It got to a point where she once threatened Gloria and said that she would kill her. Sadly, Lucy went on to do exactly that. On September 3, 1993, she confronted Gloria outside her apartment, and after an argument, Lucy shot her twice in the chest with a .25 caliber gun. While Lucy fled, Gloria was rushed to the local hospital but was pronounced dead of a chest wound not long after she arrived.
Lucy was charged with murder, carrying a pistol without a permit, first-degree reckless endangerment, and risk of injury to a minor. She turned herself in to the authorities in November 1993, and sometime later, she stood trial for the murder. The tattoo of Lucy’s name on Gloria’s right buttock was one of the things that led the police to Lucy. In addition, there were multiple witnesses at the scene who stated that Gloria and Lucy had an argument, and some of them tried to intervene. At some point, Lucy had stepped back, taken a gun out of her waistband, and shot Gloria twice. As a result, she was convicted of Gloria’s murder in November 1994.
Where is Lucy Cruz Now?
Lucy was found guilty of the murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison in January 1995. At her sentencing, Lucy said, “I ask for the judge to forgive me and have consideration. This was not intentional. I don’t know how it happened but it did happen.” The defense claimed that Lucy was depressed about the relationship ending. Lucy’s lawyer stated that psychiatric reports showed she had “a major depression and a psychosis.”
But the judge disagreed, stating that anger was the motivation, and the fact that Lucy said, “That’ll teach you,” after the shooting solidified that notion. From what we can tell, Lucy was released on parole in 2017 after serving 23 years of her sentence. She seems to be keeping a low profile since then, and therefore, not a lot is known about her current whereabouts.
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