Benjamin Rivera, linked to Samuel Olson’s murder case, is set to enter a plea for tampering with a human corpse at the Harris County courthouse today.
HOUSTON — It’s a case that shook the Houston community in 2021 — the tragic death of 5-year-old Samuel Olson. Now, nearly three years later, a new development is unfolding at the Harris County Criminal Courthouse.
Benjamin Rivera, the former roommate of Theresa Balboa, the woman already serving a 52-year prison sentence for Samuel’s murder, is expected to enter a plea in court this morning.
Rivera is charged with tampering with a human corpse, a felony offense that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. However, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office says today’s plea will not determine Rivera’s punishment. That decision will come at a later date.
How the case unfolded
Samuel Olson was reported missing on May 27, 2021, but investigators later determined that he had been dead for weeks before the search began.
According to authorities, Balboa, who was dating Samuel’s father at the time, hit the child with a blunt object, causing his death. Prosecutors say Balboa then contacted Rivera to tell him what had happened.
Detectives said Rivera later admitted to helping Balboa hide Samuel’s body, first storing it in a storage unit for several days, and then moving it to a motel room in Jasper, East Texas.
The case gained widespread attention as law enforcement launched a desperate search for the missing boy, not knowing that Samuel had died more than two weeks earlier.
A key tip came nearly a month after Samuel’s death when Crime Stoppers received a call reporting that someone had booked a motel room for Balboa in Jasper. That led investigators to the location where Samuel’s body was found on June 2, 2021.
Following the discovery, Balboa was arrested, and Rivera was taken into custody more than two weeks later.
Balboa eventually accepted a plea deal in 2023, leading to her current 52-year prison sentence.
What’s next
Rivera’s plea hearing is scheduled to begin around 9 a.m. today. KHOU 11 will provide updates on what happens in court and what comes next in this ongoing case.