A judge has recused himself from the proceedings of a man accused of killing a teenage boy in a violent crash three years ago.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger confirms to Channel 11 that Judge Christopher St. John recused himself from presiding over Joshua Rivera’s case on Monday morning.
Rivera is accused of hitting 15-year-old Aiden Lutz, who was riding an e-bike, and leaving him for dead in October 2023.
This recusal occurred before St. John ruled on a motion from the defense, which requests that Goldinger’s office be recused as well. That motion hearing was continued and is still pending.
These updates come a few weeks after Rivera’s lawyers argued that charges should be dropped because the case hasn’t made it to trial.
As Channel 11 previously reported, Rule 600 is the right to a fair and speedy trial, but Goldinger said many of the trial delays were out of the Commonwealth’s control. At one point, every single judge in Butler County recused themselves from the case, and a new judge from Mercer County was assigned.
Now a new judge must be assigned before the defense’s motion can be heard and any orders made on the charges Rivera faces.
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