Pierce Hoempler faces as many as three life sentences after jurors rejected his claim that he shot three unarmed neighbors in self-defense.

NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — A Miami-Dade County jury has convicted 36-year-old Pierce Nelson Hoempler of murdering his neighbor and the neighbor’s two adult sons during a 2023 confrontation outside their North Miami apartment complex, bringing a nearly three-year-old triple-homicide case to the sentencing stage.

Jurors found Hoempler guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 57-year-old Hector Rivera and two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Rivera’s sons, 37-year-old Frank Rivera and 33-year-old Jeremy Rivera. The verdict, returned in September, rejected a self-defense theory Hoempler had pursued both before and during trial. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Miguel de la O presided over the case. Court reporting indicates Hoempler faces up to three life sentences. A hearing set for Oct. 23 is expected to address when his sentence will be imposed.

The case centered on what happened during a confrontation on Nov. 13, 2023, in the front yard of an apartment complex at 12240 NE Fifth Ave. Court records show the encounter began after Hector Rivera went to Hoempler’s residence following a telephone call from a friend. The two men argued and then fought. Witness testimony later described Hoempler getting on top of Rivera during the struggle. Frank and Jeremy Rivera arrived soon afterward and approached their father. What happened next became the central dispute in Hoempler’s self-defense claim and, eventually, the issue a jury was asked to resolve.

A neighbor who testified during pretrial proceedings said he saw a handgun tucked into the back of Hoempler’s pants as the two sons approached. According to the appellate record, Frank and Jeremy went around Hoempler to reach their father, who had gotten back to his feet. The witness said Hoempler then pulled the firearm and displayed it. He also testified that the three Riveras moved away after seeing the weapon. Concerned about his own family, the neighbor went inside his residence. He soon heard a rapid series of gunshots, followed by a pause and another shot. All three Riveras were unarmed, according to the court record.

Medical and physical evidence later became important to the prosecution’s argument that Hoempler was not facing an imminent threat when he fired. A medical examiner testified during a pretrial hearing that wounds suffered by Frank and Jeremy Rivera could be consistent with the men turning away during the shooting. Hector Rivera had several gunshot wounds as well as injuries from the earlier physical confrontation. Responding officers found the three victims separated by several yards in the courtyard. Hector and Jeremy died at the scene. Frank was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he later died.

Hoempler called 911 after the shooting and told the operator that three men were down. He maintained that the Riveras had rushed him. Body-camera video recorded after police arrived also captured him making a self-defense claim. That account became the foundation of an effort to have the prosecution stopped under Florida’s self-defense and “Stand Your Ground” laws. A trial judge rejected the request after a two-day evidentiary hearing, finding that the testimony and physical evidence did not support the claim that the three men were advancing on Hoempler when he used deadly force.

Hoempler challenged that ruling before Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal. In March 2025, a three-judge panel declined to stop the prosecution. The appellate court said it found no legal error in the lower court’s decision and deferred to factual findings that were supported by the record. The opinion noted that the trial court had concluded the Riveras were at a distance and were turning or moving away rather than rushing Hoempler. The court also noted that none of the men was armed. That decision cleared the way for the criminal case to continue toward trial.

The state’s case reached a jury in 2026. Prosecutors emphasized the Riveras’ lack of weapons and evidence concerning their positions when they were shot. Defense attorney Carlos Gonzalez relied in part on Hoempler’s 911 statement and argued that he had acted to protect himself. Jurors ultimately accepted different levels of criminal liability for the deaths: first-degree murder for Hector Rivera and second-degree murder for Frank and Jeremy Rivera. The distinction reflected the charges and findings submitted in the case, but all three verdicts represented rejection of Hoempler’s contention that the killings were justified acts of self-defense.

The deaths also left a large family loss beyond the courtroom. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Frank Rivera’s two young sons were present and lost their father, uncle and grandfather in the shooting. Prosecutors described the boys as 8 and 10 years old at the time. Rivera family members had publicly identified the victims in the immediate aftermath, when relatives and friends gathered near the scene as detectives worked through the evening. Rundle said after the verdict that prosecutors hoped the jury’s decision would give the family some measure of closure, while acknowledging that the three men could not be brought back.

Hector Rivera had roots in Puerto Rico and spent much of his working life in construction, according to an obituary cited in coverage of the case. He was remembered there as a devoted father and friend. The deaths of Hector, Frank and Jeremy became linked in the legal record not only because they were members of the same family, but because the sons entered the confrontation after seeing their father in a struggle. Their decision to go toward him, and Hoempler’s response as the encounter changed, remained at the center of the prosecution, the failed immunity challenge and the eventual trial.

The verdict ended the question of Hoempler’s criminal responsibility at the trial-court level but did not complete the case. Reporting after the conviction said the Oct. 23 court hearing would be used to set his sentencing date, rather than establishing that Oct. 23 itself would necessarily be the day sentence is imposed. Hoempler remains convicted of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder and faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.

Author note: Last updated October 21, 2026.