Two deaths get man 25 years

SALEM – The deaths of two Lynn women occurred within a one-mile radius and within a month in 2007. But they weren’t connected until five years later when DNA from an alleged rape in Saugus identified a man who lived in Lynn as a suspect.Thursday, that suspect was sentenced to up to 28 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter charges in each woman’s death.Joshua Rivera, 30, of Lynn pleaded guilty Thursday in Salem Superior Court to manslaughter in the August 2007 death of Lara Rizzo, 27, and the September 2007 death of Nancy Gonzalez, 43.Judge Timothy Feeley sentenced Rivera to 25 to 28 years in prison.Police responded to 18 Brookvale St. in Lynn on Aug. 26, 2007 when Rizzo’s father reported that he had gone to wake up his daughter at approximately 7 a.m. and found her dead, according to a statement of facts in the court documents. Police discovered Rizzo lying on her back on the bedroom floor with a plastic bag over her head and visible injuries on her face and neck.Rizzo’s father said he had last seen her at 8 p.m. the prior evening when he went to bed. There were no signs of a burglary or forced entry into the bedroom, and police found evidence of drinking and marijuana use. Rizzo’s death was ruled a homicide by smothering and strangulation.About five weeks later on Oct. 1, 2007, a maintenance worker checking out odor complaints discovered Gonzalez’s decomposing body in her Hamilton Avenue apartment. Gonzalez was also lying on her back, covered by pillows, and a plastic bag was covering her face. The medical examiner initially ruled the death to be a cocaine overdose, noting crack cocaine paraphernalia in the apartment and cocaine in Gonzalez’s body.Rizzo’s case remained open, however, and police did not catch a break until 2011 when state police matched Rivera to DNA collected from underneath Rizzo’s fingernails. Police had charged Rivera in the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl in Saugus in 2009, but the charges were dismissed when the alleged victim did not show up for several court dates, authorities said.Police also matched Rivera’s fingerprints to prints on the bag found over Rizzo’s head. Rivera was arrested and charged with murder on May 18, 2012 and indicted on the murder charge a month later. He has been held without bail since his arrest.Remembering the Gonzalez case also involved a plastic bag, police re-examined evidence and matched Rivera’s fingerprints to prints on the plastic bag found laid on her face. Police also matched Rivera to DNA found on Gonzalez’s hands.The medical examiner re-examined Gonzalez and ruled the death a homicide by smothering.A grand jury indicted Rivera for murder in September 2012 in connection with Gonzalez’s death.On Thursday, Rivera pleaded out to manslaughter in each of the deaths. His attorney could not be reached for comment Friday.Rizzo’s friend Kelly DeJesus said in an email that Thursday was “an extremely emotional day for family and friends,” and seemed disappointed that Rivera was sentenced to 28 years “only.”A message on the Justice For Lara Facebook page thanked friends and family for their support.”Joshua Rivera will begin his 28-year sentence although no amount of time served will ever bring Lara back,” a post on the page said. “We want to thank you all for your love and support at the court and through the Justice for Lara page. We urge you all to continue the fight to stop violence against women in honor of Lara.”