A 27-year-old Mount Laurel woman has been sentenced to 30 years in state prison for fatally stabbing her mother in 2019, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw.
Marisa Rivera – who was convicted of first-degree murder in January – must serve the entire term before she will be eligible for parole, under a sentence handed down by Burlington County Superior Court Judge Terrence R. Cook in Mount Holly on March 8, according to a press release from the prosecutor’s office.
The investigation began after the body of Rivera’s mother, 56-year-old Denise DeNapoli, was discovered in their Ramblewood Village apartment by Mount Laurel police on the morning of Sept. 6, 2019. Officers went to the residence to conduct a wellness check after co-workers failed to hear from DeNapoli, who had been scheduled to work from home that day.
The investigation revealed that Rivera killed her mother earlier that day at approximately 3:30 a.m., and then fled the apartment. She was located several hours later at a Route 73 hotel and taken into custody without incident by township police, according to the press release.
An autopsy performed by the Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Officer determined that DeNapoli’s death was due to multiple stab wounds. Testimony presented at Rivera’s last year indicated the relationship between mother and daughter had been steadily deteriorating.
Rivera was also convicted for possession of a weapon.
