Springfield man accused of helping hide murder victim due in court

A Springfield man accused of helping a Springfield killer hide a murdered woman’s body has a trial date .

Carmelo Rivera, 42, indicted in Clark County Common Pleas Court on gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence charges, is due in court Friday, according to an online court docket. A jury trial against him is set for Aug. 23, the docket says.

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Rivera is accused of helping Prentiss Hare and Hannah Whitman hide Tiffany Chambers’ corpse after Hare murdered her in 2015. The three are accused of hiding her body in a field in Greene County in July 2015. She wasn’t found until May 2016.

Rivera was indicted on charges in May.

Clark County Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Picek said it is unlikely for a trial to take place in August because of the amount of evidence in the case that his attorney still needs to review, but he said there is currently no plea deal in place.

Clark County prosecutors said Chambers was led into an alley behind a building on West Pleasant Street and was killed by Hare.

“(Rivera) also assisted in dumping her body in Greene County and was present at the time of her murder, like Hannah,” Picek said.

READ: Springfield killer had connections to slain woman, family says

Hare pleaded guilty to Chambers’ murder and was sentenced to a possible life sentence. It was his second murder conviction and prosecutors have named him as a person of interest in other homicides.

Whitman recently pleaded guilty to helping hide Chambers’ body. She was sentenced to community control.

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Rivera faces four years in prison if convicted of the charges, according to Clark County Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Picek.

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