PA man gets 25 years for killing NJ mother of two at motel

🔴 PA man gets prison for NJ woman’s killing at motel

🔴 The victim was a mother of two

🔴 Killer must serve most of term before possible parole

A 27-year-old Philadelphia man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the brutal killing of a mother of two at a Maple Shade motel last year, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw.

Alexander Rivera was taken into custody at his Pennsylvania home nearly a year ago by the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.

In July, he pleaded guilty in Burlington County Superior Court to first-degree aggravated manslaughter, stemming from the killing of Michelle Johnston.

The 36-year-old victim was found strangled and stabbed to death inside a room at the Bel-Air Motor Lodge on Route 73 in May 2022.

Johnson had previously lived in multiple locations in the Burlington and Camden county areas.

Rivera must serve 85 percent of the term before becoming eligible for parole, or just over 21 years.

“This was a fierce, unprovoked attack against an unsuspecting victim,” Bradshaw said in a written statement on Friday. “We join those who loved Michelle Johnston, including her two children, in mourning her tragic loss, and are grateful to everyone involved in this case who helped us bring justice for her death."

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