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Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced on Tuesday, December 4th, 2015, that 49-year-old Daniel Tavares was convicted of the October 1988 cold case murder of 32-year-old Gayle Botelho in Fall River.
The jury deliberated for about four hours over the course of two days before returning its verdict shortly after noon today in Fall River Superior Court.
After being convicted of first degree murder today, Mr. Tavares was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Gary Nickerson to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
Mr. Tavares stabbed Ms. Botelho to death on or around October 27, 1988. Her body was discovered 12 years after her death, buried in the backyard of a home. Mr. Tavares previously resided at on June Street in Fall River. Mr. Tavares, who is already serving a life prison sentence in the State of Washington for the 2007 slaying of a young married couple, was transported back to Massachusetts to face the murder indictment lodged against him in September of 2013.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney William McCauley and Assistant District Attorney Brian Griffin.
The investigation into the 27-year-old cold case was coordinated by Mr. McCauley and was jointly conducted by State Police Detective Ann Marie Robertson and Fall River Police Detective John McDonald.
“I hope the defendant’s conviction gives the family some closure. They will never have Gayle Botelho back, but the jury has held accountable a very dangerous person for a brutal murder committed 27 years ago. The defendant has killed four people because he has no regard for human life. The defendant even killed his own mother and a young husband and wife in Washington State over a minor dispute,” District Attorney Quinn said. “He deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison and should never be released. I would like to commend Prosecutors Bill McCauley, Brian Griffin, Jennifer Purcell, and David Wittenberg for their work on the case. I would also like to commend the State and Fall River Police for solving this “cold” case. In particular, I would like to thank Fall River Detective John McDonald and State Police Detective Ann Marie Robertson for their efforts in the investigation.”
