Boy, 10, Tells His Dad's Killer He Was ‘Taken from Me Too Early’ at Emotional Sentencing Hearing By Gabrielle Rockson

A 10-year-old boy sent a strong message to his father’s killer when he gave an emotional victim impact statement in court.

On Tuesday, Oct. Oct. 7, Fernando “Chino” Rivera’s son Nico, 10, paid tribute to his father during the sentencing of Rivera’s killer, Terrence Johnson, in Superior Court in Milford, Connecticut, according to the Hartford Courant.

On Oct. 31, 2020, 35-year-old Rivera was attacked from behind by Johnson, who was 18 at the time, while he was standing on a sidewalk at the corner of Washington Avenue and Elm Street in West Haven, according to the Hartford Courier and New Haven Register.

Rivera died at Yale New Haven Hospital on Nov. 1, 2020, according to his obituary. 

“I didn’t get enough time [with dad] … My dad deserved to stay. My dad was taken from me too early,” Niko said in a video message at the sentencing, per the Haven Register.

The young boy added, “I wish he would go away and stay in jail for 100 years,” before telling the court that he wanted his father “to know I miss him so much.”

Niko was waiting for his father to come home to go trick-or-treating with him when Rivera was killed.

PEOPLE has contacted the Superior Court and West Haven Police Department for comment

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Nico’s mother, Lindsee Baez, who was Rivera’s fiancée, revealed at the sentencing that their son was only recently told knew about his father’s attack. When the incident first occurred, Nico was only 5, so his family told him father died of a “boo boo.”

“He was truly my best friend,” Baez said of her partner of 17 years. “We grew up together, from our teenage years into adulthood.”

She added, “The road was bumpy along the way, but we never gave up on each other. We chose our family every single day, and that choice made him so happy.”

Johnson was sentenced to 38 years in prison on Tuesday after taking a plea deal.

“You stole a life, you stole dreams and you stole love, and no sentence can ever undo the damage you caused,” Baez told Johnson in court.