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Sean Rivera, of the Morrisville section of Falls Township, drugged his 72-year-old mom, Carol J. Clark, before driving her to Philadelphia where he shot and killed her, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said.
Rivera left his mom's body in a shed, but officials found her early Monday morning, April 10, and pronounced her dead, Weintraub said.
The investigation began on Sunday afternoon for a report of a domestic dispute between Rivera and his brother, over the whereabouts of their mom. During the investigation, detectives learned Rivera lived with his mom at 505 Berwyn Road.
On Sunday morning, April 9, Rivera told his brother, who lives in New York, that their mom had died. When the brother arrived, Rivera would not say where their mom was. The Falls Township Police Department put out an alert, asking the public to help them find Clark.
Detectives later obtained warrants to search the home and the victim’s vehicle, locating two firearms, as well as a Home Depot receipt, a padlock, and an empty padlock package. A set of bolt cutters was found inside the victim’s vehicle.
The investigation found that Rivera diluted fentanyl in his mother’s iced tea sometime Saturday night and, with his mom in a "conscious but lethargic state," he put her in her vehicle and drove her to the shed in the 4300 block of Waln Street in Philadelphia sometime between 2 and 3 a.m. Sunday, Weintraub said.
There, he used the bolt cutters to cut off any padlocks, placed his mother inside and then shot her multiple times. He then closed the shed and locked it with one of the padlocks he had bought, the DA said. The shed was opened with a key recovered from Rivera.
Rivera was charged Monday with criminal homicide, kidnapping to facilitate a felony, kidnaping to inflict terror or injury, aggravated assault, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of an instrument of crime, possession of a weapon, false imprisonment, unlawful restraint, and recklessly endangering another person.
He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Jan Vislosky and was remanded to Bucks County Correctional Facility without bail.
This case was investigated by Detectives from the Falls Township Police Department and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department, Homicide Unit. This case is assigned for prosecution to Deputy District Attorney Monica W. Furber.
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