A 68-year-old North Dartmouth man has been sentenced to life in prison for stabbing his girlfriend to death in her Chelsea apartment in 2023, a killing that shook the Lafayette Avenue neighborhood on a quiet Monday morning.
Angel Alvarez admitted earlier this year to second-degree murder and related charges in the death of 59-year-old Margarita Morehead. A judge on Monday ordered him to serve life in prison with the possibility of parole after 17 years, according to NBC10 Boston.
The slaying happened on the morning of May 8, 2023, inside Morehead’s apartment on Lafayette Avenue, where Chelsea officers found her unresponsive with multiple stab wounds, prosecutors said. A neighbor reported hearing her screams and later saw a man leaving the building, investigators said. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said investigators also found stains that appeared to be blood in Alvarez’s car, and that he later contacted police to turn himself in, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
Court And Sentence
Alvarez changed his plea to guilty on Feb. 11 and returned to court Monday to learn his fate, NBC10 Boston reported. Prosecutors said he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and violating a protection order.
Authorities told reporters that during the attack Alvarez cut off two of his own fingers, then tried to cover his tracks afterward. According to the same report, he bought new clothes following the killing, and investigators later recovered bloody clothing at a Target before Alvarez ultimately surrendered to police.
Family Reaction And Domestic Violence Context
In court, Morehead’s family members described the hole her death has left in their lives. One of her children told the judge that, “Domestic violence didn't just take my mother's life,” a line that hung heavily over the courtroom, according to NBC10 Boston.
The killing was included on a 2023 list of domestic-violence homicides in Massachusetts compiled by advocacy group Jane Doe Inc., underscoring what advocates say is the ongoing toll of intimate-partner violence and the need for more resources for survivors and families.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, confidential help is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline or by calling 1-800-799-7233. Alvarez is expected to be committed to state custody and will be eligible to seek parole after 17 years under the sentence.
