26-year-old Dartmouth man who viciously beat his girlfriend sentenced to prison in Fall River

A 26-year-old Dartmouth man who viciously beat his girlfriend in 2019 was convicted by a jury of his peers this week and sentenced to serve up to seven-and-a-half years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Skye Soares was convicted Thursday of intimidation of a witness and assault and battery-causing serious bodily injury after a two-day trial in Fall River Superior Court.

According to the DA’s Office, on January 28, 2019, while at their apartment, the victim got into an argument with Soares who was her boyfriend. The argument started over her not letting him see her phone. It became physical when Soares shoved her onto a table. She then threatened to call the police if he struck her again, at which point Soares began to punch her in the face, breaking her nose, two bones in her cheek, eye socket, and splitting her nose and head open. She required staples on the top of her head and stitches on her face and nose. Soares then demanded that the victim drive him to his sister’s home. Out of fear of Soares, she did drive him although her sight was blurred by the blood pouring down her face. Once at his sister’s house, Soares made her swear on her daughter’s life that she wouldn’t call police. She then went to where her 13-year-old daughter was being watched by a friend. At this home, the victim’s friends observed her injuries and asked her to call the police and go to the hospital. She eventually went to the hospital and out of fear of Soares’ retaliation, told them she was jumped while walking home. She finally decided to go to the police the next morning and report that Soares had done this to her. At the Dartmouth Police Department, officers observed her to still be bleeding and an ambulance was called, and she was taken to the hospital a second time. There she told the police and emergency personnel what had actually happened. The BCDAO stated that the victim underwent surgery on her shattered nose and still has trouble breathing, headaches and must get nerve blocking shots for the continued pain.

In a rare instance, the jurors in the case decided to stay in the courtroom for the sentencing phase and all offered comfort and support to the victim afterwards. Even Judge Thomas Perrino lauded the victim for her strength and for sticking with the case despite numerous defense-initiated continuances.

“I commend the victim for her courage in reporting this crime and for her perseverance in seeing this case through. I am very pleased the jury held the defendant accountable for the vicious beating inflicted upon the victim,” District Attorney Quinn said. “No one should have to experience this type of brutality. A substantial state prison sentence was clearly warranted.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Courtney Cahill, who is the Chief of DA Quinn’s Domestic Violence Unit.

In addition to the six-to-seven-and-a-half-year state prison sentence, Judge Perrino also placed the defendant on an additional three years of probation, which will include batterers counseling, anger management courses and the constant wearing of a GPS monitoring bracelet.