Witness is defiant in ex-lover’s murder trial

A Deerfield Beach woman took the stand Tuesday to testify against her former lover, Jacqueline Luongo, accusing her of killing a roommate and blaming it on a fictitious Hispanic man.

Maria Calderon, 41, said she first learned of the death of Patricia Viveiros in September 2014, after she and Luongo spent several nights in hotels and motels that Luongo had paid for using Viveiros’ money.

But when Luongo told Calderon that she had walked in on a “Spanish man” choking Viveiros to death, and that the man had forced Luongo to participate by wrapping the victim’s head in duct tape, stuffing her body into a garment bag and shoving it into a bedroom closet,

Calderon said she didn’t buy it and got away at the first opportunity to tell police where to find Luongo.

Luongo faces the death penalty if convicted of Viveiros’ murder. Prosecutors say she killed her roommate to get at her insurance money. She is also charged with hiring a hit man to have Calderon killed.

Calderon said she learned about that plot from police — the man Luongo tried to hire was an undercover detective, prosecutors said.

Calderon worked with detectives to fake her death. She said she later became angry about the setup because investigators had called a network television newsmagazine show to record a segment about the sting. She also said she regretted having to testify against Luongo because she does not want to see her executed.

“I feel like if she’s put to death, I’ll be the one putting the needle in her vein,” Calderon said. That, she said, was why she wrote to Luongo saying she didn’t want to testify.

But Calderon was impatient with lawyer Gabe Ermine, who asked her whether she was Viveiros’ killer and suggested Calderon didn’t want to testify because she knew Luongo was innocent. Calderon turned defiant, crossing her arms, spouting profanities and laughing off some of Ermine’s questions, calling him a clown.

“You’re the only one in the room who’s laughing,” Ermine said. Calderon said she didn’t care, though she used stronger language in doing so.

PHOTOS BY RAFAEL OLMEDA/STAFF Maria Calderon said she first learned of Patricia Viveiros’ death after she and Jacqueline Luongo stayed in several hotels using Viveiros’ money.

Jacqueline Luongo is flanked by attorneys Bob Willis, left, and Gabe Ermine.