Patricia Ann Swett-Carey, a 45-year-old White woman from Nashua, New Hampshire, was a mother of three known to loved ones as "Trish." She was remembered by those who knew her as an absolutely amazing person. Her life was cut short on the night of September 29, 2023, in a violent encounter that also claimed the life of a second person.
Around 10:30 p.m. that evening, Nashua police responded to reports of gunfire in a parking lot on Maple Street.
When officers arrived, they discovered the bodies of Patricia and 44-year-old Matthew Champagne of Manchester. Both had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses told investigators they heard several gunshots and then saw a vehicle speeding away from the area, allegedly turning onto West Hollis Street.
An autopsy was later performed by Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Mitchell Weinberg. The examination confirmed that Patricia’s cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of her death was ruled a homicide. The findings for Matthew Champagne were the same.
The investigation progressed quickly, and the day after the shooting, on September 30, 2023, authorities arrested 47-year-old Victor Rivera of Nashua. Law enforcement officials indicated that Rivera was an acquaintance of both victims and that the shooting was not a random act of violence. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder for knowingly causing their deaths by shooting them. He was also charged with an alternative count of second-degree murder for recklessly causing their deaths under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life.
Following his arraignment in Hillsborough County Superior Court, Victor Rivera was indicted by a grand jury in connection with the shooting deaths. His case proceeded to trial, and in January 2025, a Hillsborough County jury found him guilty of murder for the deaths of Patricia Swett-Carey and Matthew Champagne.
