LYNN — A 19-year-old Lynn woman pleaded not guilty and was held without bail on Monday after being charged with first-degree murder in the 2017 death of Reina Rodriguez.
Juana Rivera was arrested in Lynn Friday afternoon by Braintree Police and Massachusetts State Police Detectives with assistance from detectives from the Essex District Attorney’s office and Lynn Police on a Norfolk Superior Court indictment warrant for the June homicide of Rodriguez, according to a press release.
Rodriguez, who lived in Braintree and formerly lived in Lawrence, was discovered on June 22, 2017 inside a room at the Hyatt Place Hotel on Forbes Road in Braintree. Her death has been under investigation by Braintree Police and the State Police homicide detectives.
“The Braintree police have been excellent partners with Norfolk County homicide detectives in this investigation,” District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in a statement. “We also very much appreciate the service of the grand jury that heard evidence in this case, and the Lynn Police for their part in taking this defendant into custody.”