Man with 18 restraining orders sentenced to prison in Fall River for biting, repeatedly punching girlfriend

A 45-year-old man who violently assaulted his girlfriend last January was sentenced to state prison last Thursday in Fall River Superior Court, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Stephen Boulter pled guilty to indictments charging him with Strangulation and Domestic Assault and Battery.

On January 8, 2022, Boulter’s girlfriend walked into the Attleboro Police station with bruising and red marks on her face. She told police that on January 4th, she was awoken from a nap by Boulter, who accused her of cheating. This led to an argument, which culminated in Boulter pushing her onto a bed and hitting her in the face with a closed fist multiple times. During the assault, the victim attempted to scream for help, but Boulter placed both of his hands over her face and mouth. The victim stated Boulter used so much force that she could not breathe. The victim also said Boulter bit her on the face, leaving teeth imprints. The victim began banging on the wall for help, causing her roommates to enter the room and separate the parties.

The Victim showed officers several photos that she had taken on the morning of January 5th. Officers noticed that she had significant bruising, swelling, scratching, teeth marks, and a lip injury. When asked about the late disclosure, the victim told officers that initially she blocked Boulter and stopped all contact. But earlier in the day on January 8th, she received a voicemail from Boulter on a private number, ordering her to take pictures down off social media. The victim told officers she believed Boulter was angry because she posted pictures of her injuries as well as domestic violence information on her Facebook page. The victim was in fear of Boulter after receiving the voicemail message.

It was later learned Boulter had previously served jail time for intimidation of a witness and violating a restraining order. Boulter has had 18 separate restraining orders filed against him by 11 different victims.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Courtney Cahill and a three-to-four-year state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Raffi Yessayan. In addition to the state prison sentence, the judge also placed the defendant on probation for an additional one year.

“The defendant violently assaulted the victim and even left a bite mark on her face. He has a long criminal history including violations of court protective orders. He clearly is a danger to this victim and the community and he needs to be kept off the street,” District Attorney Quinn said.