Fall River Man Sentenced for Violent Threat Against Murder Trial Witness

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A Fall River man has been convicted of intimidating a witness in a murder case.

According to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, Brandan Tessier, 27, was convicted by a jury in Fall River Superior Court of intimidation of a witness. The jury only deliberated for about an hour before handing down the verdict, the D.A.’s Office said.

Tessier was then sentenced by Judge Daniel O’Shea to serve two to four years in state prison.

Get our free mobile app

The charges relate to a March 5, 2022 incident in which a lieutenant working at the Bristol County House of Correction in Dartmouth was bringing food to inmates.

The lieutenant had previously been served a subpoena to testify in a murder trial and was preparing to testify in the case, the D.A.’s Office said.

As the lieutenant was handing out food and approached Tessier, who was an inmate, Tessier called him a “rat f--k” for testifying against “(his) boy.” Tessier then told him, “Wait til I see you on the outside, you’re getting stuck.”

Tessier had been arrested in January 2022 as a fugitive with several outstanding warrants. He faced dozens of charges at the time including multiple counts of assault and battery with a firearm and other firearms offenses, dealing drugs, vandalism, receiving stolen property, and multiple motor vehicle violations.

“I am very pleased the jury held the defendant accountable for violent threats against a corrections officer who was just doing his job,” D.A. Thomas Quinn said. “This type of behavior towards a witness in a criminal case will not be tolerated by my office.”