INDEPENDENCE, MO -
It's illegal to be married to more than one person at a time, but that didn't stop a metro man from allegedly saying "I do" one too many times.
William Rivera, 31, pleaded not guilty to bigamy charges in an Independence court room on Tuesday. According to an Independence woman, a FOX 4 camera captured William committing a crime when we showed him getting married last Valentine's Day.
"I thought 'Oh my goodness, this man has lost his mind because he knows that we are still married,'" said Marcella Rivera, who says that William promised to take Danielle Rivera as his lawfully wedded wife while still married to her. "But yet he went off and got married to somebody else."
Marcella filed a complaint with the Independence Police Department, and William appeared in court on Tuesday. He declined to comment, but his second wife, Danielle, said that their marriage is legal and filled with love for each other and their 7-month-old daughter.
"I'm pretty sure she was deceived big time," said Marcella, who said that she still wants to give her marriage a second chance, and that she hopes that Tuesday's court appearance will serve as a wake-up call for William. "I know they have a child together but still my kids were first. They deserve that chance to be with their father and I feel like our marriage needs that chance again."
William Rivera is expected to be back in court on February 25th.
William Rivera, 31, pleaded not guilty to bigamy charges in an Independence court room on Tuesday. According to an Independence woman, a FOX 4 camera captured William committing a crime when we showed him getting married last Valentine's Day.
"I thought 'Oh my goodness, this man has lost his mind because he knows that we are still married,'" said Marcella Rivera, who says that William promised to take Danielle Rivera as his lawfully wedded wife while still married to her. "But yet he went off and got married to somebody else."
Marcella filed a complaint with the Independence Police Department, and William appeared in court on Tuesday. He declined to comment, but his second wife, Danielle, said that their marriage is legal and filled with love for each other and their 7-month-old daughter.
"I'm pretty sure she was deceived big time," said Marcella, who said that she still wants to give her marriage a second chance, and that she hopes that Tuesday's court appearance will serve as a wake-up call for William. "I know they have a child together but still my kids were first. They deserve that chance to be with their father and I feel like our marriage needs that chance again."
William Rivera is expected to be back in court on February 25th.
