WORCESTER — A 42-year-old Worcester man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to murder in the 2019 killing of Jennifer Vazquez-Rivera inside her apartment, the district attorney said Monday.
Thomas Bergstrom was sentenced to serve life in prison on the murder charge with the possibility of parole after 25 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Vazquez-Rivera, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said in a statement.
“We know nothing can bring Jennifer back to her family, but we hope today’s plea brings some measure of justice to her family to help them move forward after this tragedy,” Early said.
Worcester Superior Court Judge William Ritter agreed with the state’s recommendation of a 25-year parole eligibility rather than adopting the defense’s request for a 22-year parole eligibility hearing date.
Vazquez-Rivera’s family was in agreement with the plea as it avoided her two minor children from having to testify at and participate in her murder trial, Early said.
On the night of Oct. 2, 2019, Vazquez-Rivera, whom police described as being Bergstrom’s ex-girlfriend, was found stabbed inside her Lapierre Street apartment and rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Early said witness statements and cell phone evidence led investigations to Bergstrom.
Bergstrom, then 36, turned himself in to police on Oct. 4, 2019 following a manhunt. He has been in custody since that time.
When Vazquez-Rivera was found fatally stabbed, a witness at the scene told police she heard the victim scream and immediately ran to her apartment. The witness described seeing a man matching Bergstrom’s description holding a knife and running away.
Investigators at the time said they believe Bergstrom had taken a cab to Vazquez-Rivera’s apartment a half hour before the stabbing happened. Police at the time described her murder as “a brutal, serious crime.”
“I would like to commend the Worcester Police Department investigators, Assistant District Attorneys Lina Pashou and Terry McLaughlin, as well as Victim Witness Advocates Maria Deyette and James Pearson, for their hard work on this case,” Early said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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