Worcester Man Faces Assault Charge In Woman's Stabbing Death

WORCESTER, MA — A Worcester man appeared in court on Monday in connection to the Oct. 2 stabbing death of a woman who he was in a relationship with, according to court documents. Thomas Bergstrom, 36, is now facing a charge of assault and battery with serious bodily harm.

Jennifer Vazquez-Rivera, 34, was found with stab wounds, including to her throat, at a Lapierre Street home on Wednesday night. A neighbor said that they heard a woman scream, and then saw a man known as "Tom" leave the scene holding a knife and covered with a blanket, court documents say. The witness said Vazquez-Rivera was in a relationship with the man she saw leaving the home.

Vazquez-Rivera died later in the night at UMass Medical School Hospital. According to court documents, Bergstrom took a taxi to the Lapierre Street home. The taxi driver identified Bergstrom as the man he dropped off that night, court records say.

Worcester police identified Bergstrom on Thursday for questioning. An arrest warrant was issued for him on Friday, and he turned himself in to police in Blackstone that same day.

At the time of Vazquez-Rivera's death, Bergstrom was out on bail for threatening to stab a woman last Christmas Eve, according to MassLive.

Bergstrom will appear in court on Nov. 15 for a pre-trial conference.