New Bedford Man Sentenced for Stabbing His Ex and Molesting a Child

NEW BEDFORD — A New Bedford man will spend up to 20 years in state prison for stabbing his ex-girlfriend and molesting her daughter, who was under 14 years old at the time.

Elias Centeio, 42, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges of armed assault, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious injury, and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.

He was sentenced to serve 15-20 years in state prison on the charges, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office.

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Centeio had stabbed his ex-girlfriend 11 times at their 120 Amanda Ave. apartment on April 2, 2018.

New Bedford police arrived after multiple 911 calls reporting the stabbing to find the victim on the ground bleeding profusely outside the apartment, with neighbors trying to help her.

She nearly lost her arm in the incident, which required surgery and a 10-day stay at the hospital.

The victim had stab wounds to her face, neck, and left arm, according to the D.A.'s office.

Police also reported a large amount of blood in her apartment.

Neighbors reported hearing screams and finding the victim bleeding from multiple wounds, with one neighbor reporting seeing Centeio swinging both arms with a knife.

According to the D.A.'s office, the victim underwent long-term rehabilitation for her injuries.

The victim had broken up with Centeio in January 2018 after her daughter — who is not related to him — told her that he had come into her bedroom while she was sleeping and molested her, the D.A.'s office said.

Centeio and the victim had dated for around eight years and have another young child together.

The D.A.'s office said he had stolen a ladder from a neighbor's truck and climbed through a second floor window to attack the victim on the night of the stabbing.

According to the office, he chased her out the door while continuing to stab her, as seen on video footage of the attack.

"The defendant brutally stabbed the victim, which caused serious injury and could’ve resulted in her being killed," Bristol D.A. Thomas Quinn noted. "On top of it, he sexually assaulted the victim’s daughter in another incident."

"This defendant clearly is a danger to the victim and to the community, and needed to be kept off the street for a long time," Quinn added. "This sentence does just that."