New Bedford Man Who Slashed Victim Sentenced to Prison

FALL RIVER — A 35-year-old New Bedford man with a seven-page criminal rap sheet was convicted this week in Fall River Superior Court of slashing a man across the face in front of his young child in broad daylight and was sentenced to serve five to seven years in state prison, District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Rafael Guadulupe pleaded guilty to indictments charging him with mayhem, and assault and battery to collect on a loan.

On August 26, 2017 at 8:45 a.m., New Bedford Police were dispatched to area of the Carlos Pacheco Elementary School and Quick Pic on Sawyer and Mt. Pleasant Streets for a report of a male slashed in the face while waiting at a bus stop. When first responders arrived, they located the victim and found him to be suffering from a large slash wound across his face. While being treated, the victim was noted to be lethargic and losing consciousness due to blood loss, and was transported to Rhode Island Hospital in shock.

The victim told police he was waiting for a bus with his girlfriend and his seven-year-old son when a man he knows as “Macho” approached him and slashed him across the face with a knife. The victim told police that “Macho” ran and got into a white car and fled. Police assembled a photo array using Facebook pictures, and the victim immediately positively identified the defendant as the assailant.

Guadulupe was sentenced to serve five to seven years in state prison, to be followed by two years of supervised probation. The conditions of probation include staying away from the victim and his family, along with the successful completion of anger management counseling.

--Bristol County District Attorney's Office