Sean Rivera: Son drugs mother's ice tea and shoots her multiple times on her birthday before dumping her body
BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: A man from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, has been accused of a number of crimes, including kidnapping and felony murder. He is accused of giving his mother, 72, a fentanyl overdose, driving her to Philadelphia, and then shooting her multiple times.
Sean Rivera, 28, resided in the Morrisville neighborhood of Falls Township with his mother, Carol Clark. The inquiry started, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office, with a rumored domestic argument between Rivera and his brother regarding their mother's whereabouts.
READ MORE
Tahj Brewton: Third suspect, 16, arrested over triple homicide of Florida teens
Eliyanah Crisostomo: 5-year-old girl heading to birthday party fatally shot in California
Rivera told his brother their mother was dead
On Sunday morning, Rivera called his brother in New York to inform him that their mother had died, but he wouldn't say where she was when he got there. Police from Falls Township were informed, and they immediately put out a missing person alert for Clark, WPVI reported.
It was her birthday
Because his mother had mobility problems and was unable to leave the house by herself, Rivera's brother expressed his worries to detectives. He said that since it was her birthday on Sunday and she had plans with her family, she wasn't likely to change them last minute, as per the Inquirer.
Rivera had diluted fentanyl in his mother's iced tea
Detectives eventually concluded that Rivera had diluted fentanyl in his mother's iced tea on Saturday night, leaving her in a "conscious but lethargic" state. Rivera then allegedly drove Clark to a shed outside a behavioral center in Philadelphia's Frankford section between 2 am and 3 am on Sunday. Once there, investigators as per reports say Rivera used bolt cutters to cut off padlocks, placed his mother inside, then shot her multiple times.
He locked the shed with Padlock he had purchased
He then closed the shed and locked it with a padlock he had purchased, authorities say. Search warrants were obtained for Rivera's home and vehicle. Detectives allegedly found two guns, a Home Depot receipt, a padlock, and an empty padlock package. A set of bolt cutters was also found inside the vehicle. Clark's body was discovered in the shed around 1 am on Monday, and the shed was opened with a key obtained from Rivera.
Rivera has been charged with criminal homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and other offenses. It is not known whether he has entered a plea or retained legal counsel. The investigation is ongoing, and more details are expected to emerge in the coming weeks.