Man sentenced to life for raping 60 year old woman on a bridge

A serial sex offender who raped and brutally beat a random 60-year-old woman on a bridge between Manhattan and the Bronx in 2015 was sentenced to up to life in prison on Monday.

Randy Rivera, 29, already a level-three sex offender at the time of the attack,approached the woman at the 207th St. bridge on Dec. 21, 2015, knocked her to the ground and repeatedly punched her before sexually assaulting her.

According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office,he then stole her purse and took off, prosecutors said.
Rivera later claimed he committed the brutal crime because “something took over me.”

According to tthe New York Daily,he has a past conviction for sexually abusing an 11-year-old and was designated a highest-risk sex offender.

He was identified and caught in this case because his DNA was collected in the rape kit when the victim was treated at Harlem Hospital, the DA said.