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Miguel Rivera admitted to charges of manslaughter, aggravated rape of a child, and distributing drugs on Thursday, the Essex District Attorney's Office said in a statement.
“This was a senseless killing of a child that robbed the victim’s family and friends of the opportunity to watch her grow up,” said District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett in a statement. “Nothing we can do will bring their loved one back, but we hope today’s plea gives them some closure.”
Investigators said Rivera killed his great niece Precious Wallace on Dec. 15, 2018. Paramedics rushed to Rivera's Jackson Street home after he called them to help the girl who'd fallen unconscious, NBC Boston reported. Responders rushed her to Tufts Medical Center, where she died, the report said.
An autopsy showed Precious had fentanyl in her system and that Rivera had waited 13 minutes to call 911 after she blacked out so he could flush the drugs down the toilet, NBC Boston said.
Medical examiners also found Rivera's DNA inside the 11-year-old girl, WCVB said.
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