Fall River Man Charged With Vicious Hammer Attack To Serve At Least A Decade In Prison
Bristol County District Attorney’s Office
Thomas M. Quinn III
District Attorney
Press Release
August 24, 2016
Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced today that a 24-year-old Fall River man who last summer went on a violent rampage against his girlfriend and a neighbor who was attempting to protect her from him was sentenced to serve 10 to 12 years in state prison yesterday.
Mario Ramos, formerly of 378 3rd Street in Fall River, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Fall River Superior Court to charges of home invasion, strangulation, intimidation of a witness, assault and battery and two counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
On July 13, 2015, Fall River Police responded to a call for assistance at a multi-level housing complex on 3rd Street. Upon arrival, police found chaos outside the apartment complex and two victims seriously injured inside an apartment. The female victim, who had been dating the defendant for a couple of months and is eight months pregnant, told police that the defendant became enraged because she was speaking to his mother and immediately began strangling her. After eventually releasing her, she quickly tried to call the police, but he took her phone away. She was able to flee to a neighbor’s with her 2 children ( ages 4 and 3) and call the police. While at the neighbors she heard a knock at the door and thinking it was the police she opened the door. The defendant then burst in, carrying a hammer, and attacked the male neighbor. The defendant severely beat the neighbor and then chased the female victim into a bedroom and beat her with the hammer on the head, upper body and stomach. He eventually dropped the hammer, fled and was later arrested in close proximity to the apartment.
The female victim sustained mostly bruising and laceration type injuries during the attack. The neighbor, however, sustained a fractured shoulder and ribs. The neighbor nearly died as a result of the attack due to complications with his broken rib. After being discharged from the hospital, his broken rib created a lacerated liver and he was bleeding out internally. He was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, where he underwent emergency life-saving surgery.
Although the defendant had no Massachusetts criminal record, it was learned he was charged in 2011 in Puerto Rico with attacking his brother with a hammer.
The defendant submitted an “unagreed plea” before Judge Raffia Yessayan in Fall River Superior Court. His defense requested a six to eight year state prison sentence, to be followed by five years of probation. Assistant District Attorney Kyle McPherson, however, argued the defendant should serve 20 to 25 years in prison, to be followed by 10 year of probation due to the vicious and unrelenting nature of the attack and the fact that it easily could have resulted in a homicide.
Judge Yessayan set the prison sentence at 10 to 12 years, to be followed by 10 years of supervised probation. The defendant’s conditions of probation include undergoing psychiatric evaluations and treatment, consent to random substance abuse screenings and must have no contact with the victims.
“This is another example of pure inhumane brutality. It is discouraging that this defendant was just 22 years old when this occurred,” District Attorney Quinn said. “However, He had a similar instance of violence when he attacked his brother with a hammer prior to this incident. He very simply needs to be locked up for a very long time.”
Contact:
Gregg Miliote
Director of Communications
508-997-0711
774-292-9576—cell