‘A very disturbed mind’: Fairhaven man sentenced for assaulting girls with wife, including his daughter

A Fairhaven man was sentenced to 26 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to a slew of charges including child rape. The man, alongside his wife, assaulted multiple underage girls including his daughter, according to prosecutors. 

Shayne Medeiros, 38, previously pleaded guilty to the charges. He was arrested in 2022. At the time, he and his wife, Leslie Medeiros, were living in Fairhaven with several of their children and a “second female that he was in a romantic relationship with,” according to Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn’s office. 

“The sexual abuse committed against the victims by the defendant are despicable and clearly demonstrate a very disturbed mind.  Fortunately, the defendant pleaded guilty which means the victims will not have to testify in this case.  The lengthy sentence imposed by the Court is more than deserved,” Quinn said in a statement. 

Two girls, a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old, reported a troubling incident to police in 2022. They had been friends with one of Medeiros’s underage daughters and visited the home in Fairhaven. There, Medeiros gave the girls alcohol and marijuana and “touched them indecently.” He showed them nude photos of his wife and asked them to engage in sex acts with each other while he and his wife engaged in sex acts in the same room, according to Quinn’s office. 

The two girls were upset by the incident and fled the home on foot around 2 a.m. The pair arrived at one of the girl’s homes, and her mother called the police. Medeiros was arrested that night, and authorities searched his home. They found items “consistent” with what the girls alleged, according to prosecutors. 

Through a subsequent investigation, one of Medeiros’s daughters told police that she had been sexually assaulted “numerous” times by him between the ages of 11 and 13. Leslie Medeiros was present and participated in some of these assaults, she said. These incidents included “indecent touchings and rapes” that occurred in both Fairhaven and New Bedford, according to Quinn’s office. 

Another underage girl told police that she was sexually assaulted by the couple in late 2019, when she was between the ages of 14 and 15. While at the Medeiros home, ostensibly to babysit their children, she was given alcohol and marijuana and indecently touched by the couple. Medeiros raped the girl as well, officials said. 

Police also spoke with a fifth victim, a 16-year-old, who said that Medeiros would send an Uber to pick her up and give her a ride to his home. He gave her marijuana and engaged in sex acts with her, according to Quinn’s office. 

Leslie Medeiros agreed to testify on behalf of the state, and she has also pleaded guilty to a range of charges including child rape and indecent assault and battery on an child under the age of 14. She is set to be sentenced in Bristol County Superior Court in November. 

Want to leave a comment?

Create an Account Or sign in to your account

To comment, please create a screen name in your profile

To comment, please verify your email address

Conversation

This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com