Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that a 27-year-old Mount Laurel woman was found guilty of fatally stabbing her mother four years ago in the residence they shared at the Ramblewood Village Apartments.
Marisa Rivera was convicted this afternoon in Superior Court in Mount Holly of Murder (First Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Third Degree), and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Fourth Degree).
The ruling was handed down by the Hon. Terrence R. Cook, P.J.Cr., who conducted a bench trial at the defendant’s request. Sentencing was scheduled for March 8.
The body of Rivera’s mother, 56-year-old Denise DeNapoli, was discovered in their apartment the morning of September 6, 2019, by officers from the Mount Laurel Police Department. 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 had killed the victim earlier that day at approximately 3:30 a.m. and then fled the apartment. Rivera was located several hours later at a Route 73 hotel and taken into custody without incident by Mount Laurel police officers.
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 trial late last year indicated the relationship between the defendant and the victim had been steadily deteriorating.
Rivera was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Rachel Conte. The case was investigated by the Mount Laurel Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. The lead investigators were MLPD Detective Thomas Corsanico, BCPO Detective Sergeant Tim Horne and former BCPO Detective Sergeant Nicholas Villano.