Jorge Ayala, aka Rivi, was one of the enforcers who worked together with Griselda Blanco, and he was a fascinating and unpredictable character who did things that nobody could imagine. The Netflix series Griselda documents his life, and the majority of the things that we witnessed him doing were inspired by real-life events. As bizarre and fictitious as those events might seem, they did happen in real life, and that was why the law enforcement authorities wanted to nab him and put him behind bars because they were fed up with dealing with him. In the series, the character is played by the brilliant Martin Rodiguez, and through his nuanced performance, he was able to portray the erratic nature for which Rivi was known. So, let’s find out what happened in real life and where Andres Baiz and his team of writers have taken some creative liberty.
How Did Rivi Met Griselda?
Rivi was someone who was very impulsive in nature, and that often landed him in a lot of trouble. He exhibited raucous behavior, and it couldn’t be denied that a lot of times, due to his irrational behavior, he put the lives of every other co-conspirator in jeopardy. As a matter of fact, Rivi never worked as an enforcer for Amilcar, as shown in the series, but the way he was picked up by Blanco to work for her was somewhat similar. Carlos Nossa, who often worked together with Rivi, got to know that someone was going to carry out a hit in the nightclub he was in. At that time, he had no clue that the hit was for Gabriela alone. Griselda’s life was saved, and soon after that, Rivi started working for her. Rivi soon grew to be one of the most important members of Blanco’s gang. He was a loyal ally to have, and he was always ready to put his life at stake and carry out the orders his boss gave him. There came a point in Griselda when it became very evident that Dario Sepulveda, Blanco’s husband, became jealous of Rivi. He believed that Rivi was manipulating his wife and influencing her to do things that could land her in trouble. We don’t know if Dario felt insecure in real life or not, but one thing that cannot be denied is that, at some point in her life, Griselda did want Rivi to be her next husband. It was rumored that she had an extramarital affair with him, but the claims could never be proven. It was said that Blanco was way too biased towards Ricci, and often, she paid him even when he was not able to do his tasks successfully.
There came a time in Griselda’s life when she became paranoid about the fact that they had an informant among them who was feeding information to the law enforcement authorities. It is true that Rivi went on a killing spree after that, and he killed more than 10 people. These were the people whom Blanco had suspended, and though it could never be proved for sure that they were leaking information, Blanco believed that it was better that she was eliminated rather than face the consequences later.
Why Did Rivi Attack Chucho?
A real setback for the law enforcement authorities was when the entire incident involving Jesus Chucho Castro happened. In the series, it is shown that Griselda’s son went to Chucho to ask for help after he fired rounds in a nightclub, and the law enforcement authorities started chasing him. In reality, it is not known what the order was that Chucho failed to follow, but it had something to do with Griselda’s sons only, which is why she was so infuriated and as a result she asked Rivi to carry out a hit on the guy. Chucho had been there with Griselda for a very long time, and I personally didn’t understand how she could forget what he had for her so easily and go after his life. Probably, it was due to the influence of drugs, as in the later stages of her life, Griselda was not in her senses most of the time. So, Rivi and a guy named Miguelito Perez went to kill Chucho, but they missed the target, and instead, Chucho’s son got hit and died on the spot. Johnny, as shown in the series, was just 2 years old. It felt like even after committing such an act, Rivi didn’t feel any sort of regret; at least, that’s how it is shown in the series, but it changed a lot of things for the Blanco gang. I believe that the death of the 2-year-old was the beginning of the end for them.
How did Police Arrest Rivi?
The entire scene where we saw Rivi going inside the bank and asking for a change of a 20-dollar bill, surprisingly, did happen in real life. Rivi stole $3000 at gunpoint after the bank employee refused to give him change. It was probably the most reckless and unnecessary thing Rivi had done. The CCTV camera recorded the entire thing, and the law enforcement authorities got solid evidence against the infamous criminal.
As bizarre as it might sound, it was rumored that Rivi did talk to a lot of female employees from the major crimes unit and other departments. Though the employees denied that they talked about anything other than work, the phone bills told another story. It is shown in the series how intimate those calls got at times, and Rivi’s version has to be believed, but he did develop quite a reputation as a smooth talker of sorts who could woo anybody through the phone line. It was surprising, as in reality, he didn’t have that charming aura, but another version of him came out when he was over a call. The police got a tip about Rivi’s whereabouts, and they were able to catch him after a crackdown was conducted by them. There is no evidence to prove that Griselda had entrusted him with the responsibility of her kids.
Where Is Rivi Now?
In the year 1993, the court held Rivi guilty of three murders, though it was a known fact that throughout his career, he had killed more than 10 people for sure. Rivi was sentenced to life, and as of now, he is still in Department of Corrections’ security prison Suwannee located in Live Oak, Florida. On August 21, 2013, he applied for parole and got his sentence reduced, but because of his phone sex fiasco, the judge denied him a hearing, therefore refusing to acknowledge the agreement the State Attorney office had made during his arrest.
