I know there’s already a thread on Father Rivera, but I figured I’d start a new one. For those of us familiar with the details, there’s not a lot new. But there is some archival footage, mention if UM, and a new interview with the detective who was investigating at the time. He’s an old man now.

I lived in New Mexico for a while before I even learned of this case. Stopped at La Bajada rest stop numerous times. It’s always been a decent, clean rest stop in a nicer part of New Mexico.

Just a little bit of geography, Santa Fe is considered part of northern New Mexico. Albuquerque is not. Grants is one hour west of Albuquerque (and not halfway near as pretty as Santa Fe) and approximately two hours NORTH west of Santa Fe. One hour west of Grants is Gallup (think Anthonette Cayedito.)

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/4-investigates-the-mysterious-murder-of-father-reynaldo-rivera/

Thank you for posting this Zero. Very memorable segment overall, but unfortunately more because of Father Kerrigan for most posters and likely many viewers than this.
It just never made sense to me. I believed Ulibarri's theory on the original broadcast and still do, that Father Rivera was killed by an anti-Catholic zealot for the simple reason that he was a priest. Also admire that Ulibarri changed his mind about the connection with Father Kerrigan, although I think it was just due diligence on his part to at least investigate the possibility.
I doubt the killer will ever be caught, but I hope he's paying or pays in the next life.

Thank you for posting this Zero. Very memorable segment overall, but unfortunately more because of Father Kerrigan for most posters and likely many viewers than this.

That's the way I feel. I've enjoyed researching the Father Kerrigan case. It has so much dirty laundry and facts/evidence that make it obvious what happened to him and why. We just don't know who did it.

Father Rivera's case is so much harder to solve because he himself wasn't the target. His position was the target. And when you don't have any personal history with your killer, it just makes a starting point from an investigation insanely difficult.

It was really stretching it that the detective from New Mexico thought the two cases were connected at one point. There are more differences than similarities.

I never blamed Ulibarri for thinking the two cases might be connected. I think he thought he owed it to the case to see if there were any possible connections, but in the same vein they were two cases several states and a few years apart. Had there been more murders of Catholic priests throughout the West in the 80s, then a connection would have been much more likely.
It also might not have been known in those days, at least widely so, that revenge for molestation/another sex crime almost certainly was the motive for Father Kerrigan's death. But if anyone knew, I am sure Ulibarri would have been let in on that.

This certainly would fit in an "unpopular opinion" thread, but I remain far from convinced that these were unrelated, and also remain unconvinced of the motive for Father Kerrigan's death.

There were other missing persons cases which UM did not profile which were associated with these cases in one form or another. A schoolteacher that worked in Missoula disappeared in the same area as Father Kerrigan and within the same time frame.
Another priest, who knew Kerrigan, also went missing 2 years prior in Montana and has also never been found.

A pattern of priest killings could be extended to 3 cases which have some similar modus operani, with an additional case that would seem unrelated except the time and place is so closely associated as to raise questions.