An Essex County grand jury indicted two men for murder in two high profile cases on Wednesday, including the man charged in the rape of his 11-year-old niece who died last December and a man involved in the 2017 murder of a Haverhill teenager, the Essex district attorney’s office said.
Miguel Rivera, 58, of Lawrence now faces murder charges in addition to charges of rape and drug distribution to a minor, the office said in a statement.
A Superior Court arraignment date has not been scheduled. Once he is arraigned in that court, , the District Court charges will be dismissed, according to the statement.
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Rivera is being held without bail.
In a separate case, Joseph Maxwell Benner, 21, of Haverhill was charged with the murder of 18-year-old Bryce Finn, who was fatally shot on the doorstep of his home in Haverhill in June 2017. Benner additionally faces charges of armed assault with intent to rob, the statement said.
Benner is being held without bail, and a Superior Court arraignment date has not been set.
Andrew Stanton can be reached at andrew.stanton@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewstanton.