MORRISVILLE, PA — A Falls Township man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and a series of related felonies for the premeditated killing of his 72-year-old mother in April 2023.
Sean Rivera, 30, of Berwyn Road, entered a negotiated guilty plea on Thursday, November 21, 2024, before Common Pleas Judge Stephen A. Corr. Rivera admitted to drugging his mother, Carol J. Clark, with fentanyl-laced iced tea, then kidnapping her and driving her to Philadelphia, where he fatally shot her and locked her body inside a shed.
Rivera pleaded guilty to the following charges:
Second-degree murder
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
Recklessly endangering another person
Judge Corr, in issuing the sentence, called the circumstances “horrific,” and accepted the terms of the plea, which include:
Life in prison for the murder charge
A concurrent sentence of 28 to 56 years for the additional felonies
No contact with surviving family members
Mandatory mental health and drug/alcohol evaluations
Prosecutors did not disclose a motive during Thursday’s court proceedings, but emphasized the premeditated and cruel nature of the crime.
The investigation was led by the Falls Township Police Department and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
