Pa. man accused of drugging, kidnapping, and killing his mother in storage shed
04/10/2023 11:40 am PDT
PHILADELPHIA (TCD) -- A 28-year-old man faces charges after allegedly drugging, kidnapping, and fatally shooting his mother in a storage shed where she was later found.
On Monday, April 10, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office announced that Sean Rivera was charged with criminal homicide, kidnapping to facilitate a felony, kidnapping 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.
According to a criminal complaint from the Falls Township Police Department, on Sunday, April 9, officers responded to a home on Berwyn Road after receiving a report of a domestic dispute between brothers "regarding their mother’s whereabouts." At the scene, officers spoke with Adam Clark-Valle, who said his brother, Sean Rivera, told him their mother had gotten sick and died.
Clark-Valle reportedly searched for their mother, Carol Clark, in the home but couldn’t find her. When he asked Rivera for more details, Rivera allegedly said their mother had suffered a heart attack and was at a hospital.
According to police, Clark-Valle told authorities he asked local hospitals about their mother, but none of the hospitals in the area had a record of her being there. Clark-Valle asked Rivera again where their mother was, and he reportedly just said, "Frankford." Police said Clark-Valle left the home to search the hospitals, and when he came back, Rivera was gone, so Clark-Valle called police.
Police searched the home and "described the conditions to be very cluttered as a hoarder’s house, preventing them from doing anything other than a limited cursory sweep of the inside."
Rivera, who lived with his mother, returned home in a car registered in her name. When police spoke with Rivera, he said he bought his mother takeout the night before. The next day, April 9, Rivera reportedly said his mother was not in her bedroom.
According to police, Clark-Valle told officials he texted his mother on April 8 to wish her a happy birthday, but she didn’t respond, which was "very unlike her." Clark-Valle also reportedly said their mother suffered from various medical conditions, including diabetes, and she used a wheelchair.
Police executed a search warrant in the home and located two firearms in the upstairs bedroom drawer with receipts made out to Rivera. According to police, officials also found a Home Depot receipt for two padlocks.
Upon further investigation, detectives concluded Rivera allegedly drugged his mother’s iced tea with fentanyl, placed her in a wheelchair, and drove her to a building, previously known as Frankford Friends, in Philadelphia. There, he reportedly used bolt cutters to open a storage shed on the property, wheeled his mother inside, and allegedly fatally shot her.
Police subsequently responded to the storage shed and found Clark’s body.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Rivera was booked into the Bucks County Correctional Facility without bail.
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