Brooklyn Sex Offender Gets Life For Suffocating Girlfriend: DA

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — A Brooklyn sex offender will spend life in prison for fatally suffocated an ex-girlfriend, who had a restraining order against him, just one day after he had been released from jail, Queens prosecutors said.

Jerome Rivers, 54, was sentenced in Queens Criminal Court for murdering Gia Pender, 49, in her Ozone Park home in October, 2017, according to prosecutors and city records.

Rivers called Pender after he was released from Rikers Island on Sept. 28 and told her he was coming to her home, despite the order of protection she had against him, said prosecutors.

Pender had been granted the order after she reported Rivers — on supervised release for a 2013 sex offense conviction — punched, choked, threatened to kill and tried to rape her on July 29, 2017, Queens prosecutors said.

The Queens woman rushed to her neighbor's apartment and said, “Jerome is coming over," according to prosecutors.

Pender handed over her wallet and said, “If anything happens to me, give this to my mother."

The next morning, Rivers called police and claimed he'd heard a “thump” and found Pender choking on the kitchen floor, said prosecutors.

An autopsy later revealed Pender had bruises and cuts on her neck and chin, internal bleeding in her neck muscles, tongue and esophagus, said prosecutors.