Fall River Man Sent to Prison After Violent 2019 Break-In

A Fall River man with an extensive criminal history was convicted in Fall River Superior Court of breaking into an apartment and being a felon in possession of an illegal gun.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Perrino sentenced 33-year old Felix Cortes to five to seven years in state prison. Prosecutors say the incident happened in Fall River on November 7, 2019.

Prosecutors say the defendant and his co-defendant broke into the victim's apartment on Division Street in Fall River at 9:30 a.m. by kicking in the door. The defendant was wearing a mask over his face. The door was splintered and cracked, and the drywall from the wall was all over the floor.

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When the defendants realized the victim was home, they fled as the victim chased them out of the apartment. The victim told police he saw the two defendants get into a vehicle and take off.

Police later found two people with a vehicle matching the description provided by the victim. According to the District Attorney's Office, police also recovered a mask and a 9mm pistol loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition as part of the investigation.

A co-defendant in the case, 31-year-old Jenna Bean, died of a fentanyl overdose in November 2020 while the criminal case was still pending.

The DA's Office says Cortes has an 11-page criminal record which includes seven violent drug-related crimes between 2005-and-2019.