Crime

Easthampton woman pleads guilty in stabbing death of her boyfriend

“You took a human life,” Paula Bleau, the victim’s mother, said in court on Monday.

November 4, 2024

1 minute to read

An Easthampton woman pleaded guilty on Monday to fatally stabbing her boyfriend, court documents show.

Jean Marie Echevarria, 24, entered a plea of not guilty after authorities charged her with manslaughter in 2023. A statement of facts filed by Easthampton police said they arrested Echevarria in an apartment she shared with her boyfriend, Brennan Bleau, on March 14, 2023.

“You took a human life,” Paula Bleau, the victim’s mother, said to Echevarria in court on Monday, MassLive reported.

Police said they received a report of a “disturbance” around 3:30 a.m. at 2 Culdaff Street. When they arrived, police said they found blood in the snow surrounding the residence and leading up to the front door. Inside the apartment, Bleau was laying on the floor with “multiple wounds” in his torso, the report said.

Officers found Echevarria also in the apartment, and asked her to recount what happened. According to the report, she told police she was in a physical altercation with Bleau and used a kitchen knife to defend herself, and pointed to the knife she used.

Police said they observed Bleau with five stab wounds to his chest, abdomen, shoulder, and tricep. First responders transported him to Baystate Medical Center, where police said he was pronounced dead of his injuries at 4:52 a.m.

Echevarria wrote a statement read out in court by her lawyer, MassLive reported.

“I never wanted this to happen … This was never my intention,” the letter said.

Echevarria faces 16 to 19 years in prison, a sentencing recommendation from prosecutors said. Representation for Echevarria did not immediately reply to request for a comment.