Man pleads guilty to helping hide body of 5-year-old Sam Olson after 2021 murder, records show

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Four years after a little boy was murdered and his body was hidden in a shocking string of events, there's a new update in the fallout for those responsible.

Benjamin Rivera has plead guilty to tampering with evidence - a human corpse in the 2021 death of 5-year-old Samuel Olson.

According to records, Rivera was the roommate of Theresa Balboa, who has since been sentenced to 52 years in prison for the young boy's death, and helped her hide Samuel's body after she killed him.

On Thursday, Rivera appeared in court, where he entered a guilty plea, according to records.

Samuel was reported missing on May 27, 2021, by Balboa, who was dating his dad at the time, sparking an extensive search. She had told police that his mother had shown up with an officer and demanded that she release Samuel. This would later be determined to be a lie as evidence found showed the mother was in her own home that day. On June 1, Samuel's body, wrapped in a tarp and duct tape, would be found in a plastic container in a Jasper, Texas, motel room, along with Balboa.

During an interview with Rivera, police investigators say he told them he received a call on May 10, 2021, from Balboa saying Samuel was not breathing and telling him to come home.

Houston police investigators said Rivera told them he returned to their apartment in the 15600 block of the Gulf Freeway in Webster that day and saw the child unconscious with bruising on his body. He said they placed Samuel's body in the bathtub where he stayed for two days. He said he went to Walmart on May 13, 2021, and bought the duct tape and plastic tote bin, where they put the young boy's body, and took him to a storage unit. Samuel's body remained there until May 31, 2021.

However, an investigation revealed some conflicting evidence in Rivera's story, and it was later discovered that on May 5, 2021, Balboa had texted Rivera that she needed to speak with him before he went into the apartment. Days later, on May 12, 2021, Balboa texted Rivera, saying she was going to move Samuel's body to the bed after learning that a maintenance worker would be entering the unit that day, documents stated.

The video for the storage facility actually showed Rivera's truck with the bin arriving on May 22. A tip from a third suspect, Dylan Ray Walker, led police to the hotel on June 1.

Authorities believe Samuel died days before his sixth birthday. The medical examiner ruled that Olson died from blunt trauma to the head.

A sentencing for Rivera has been scheduled for Oct. 20, 2025.

SEE ALSO:

Samuel Olson death: Weapon that killed 5-year-old may have been found, prosecutor says

Horrific new details in death of 5-year-old Houston boy

Theresa Balboa charged with capital murder in 5-year-old Samuel Olson's death

Samuel Olson's mother speaks for first time since 5-year-old boy was found dead