Worcester man pleads guilty to beating woman to death in 2019

A 42-year-old man pleaded guilty to killing a woman in 2019 at her Worcester apartment, officials announced Monday.

Thomas Bergstrom of Worcester was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder charges against him in the murder of Jennifer Vazquez-RiveraThis is stated in the statement of the District Attorney of Worcester County. Bergstrom was eligible for parole after 25 years.

Vasquez-Rivera was found stabbed to death in her apartment on Lapierre Street in Worcester on October 2, 2019. She was pronounced dead at the hospital, and officials said witness statements and cellphone data led investigators to Bergstrom.

The Worcester Man turned into the police October 4, 2019 and has been in custody since then.

The DA’s office said Vazquez-Rivera’s family is seeking a guilty plea to avoid her two children, who are minors, being tried in the murder.

“We know that nothing can bring Jennifer back to her family, but we hope that today’s plea will bring some measure of justice to her family to help them move on from this tragedy,” the Worcester District Attorney said in a statement Joseph Early.