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Reported by us | Rehoboth

Rehoboth man pleads guilty to murdering Kylee Monteiro, gets life with parole eligibility after 25 years

The plea is a reduction from the original first-degree murder charge, WJAR reported. It comes less than two weeks after Monteiro's family went to court to oppose a defense request for a manslaughter plea.

By the SC360 Courts and Crime Desk | Published Nov. 10, 2026 | Last verified Nov. 10, 2026, 2:36 p.m. ET

REHOBOTH Gregory Groom of Rehoboth pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder in the killing of his pregnant girlfriend, Kylee Monteiro, and was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 25 years, WJAR and the Fall River Reporter reported.

Groom, 23, entered the plea in Fall River Superior Court, the Fall River Reporter reported, citing court records for the sentence. He also received 3 to 5 years on a witness intimidation charge, according to WJAR.

The plea closes the case more than a year after Monteiro, 18, was killed on Aug. 7, 2025, at his County Street home in Rehoboth, and less than two weeks after her family and supporters went to court to oppose a defense request to let him plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter instead.

What the sentence means

WJAR reported that the second-degree plea is a reduction from the original first-degree murder charge, and NBC Boston reported the reduction was part of a plea agreement.

Under Massachusetts law, second-degree murder carries a life sentence in state prison, and the judge sets a minimum term of 15 to 25 years before the person becomes eligible for parole, under Chapter 265, Section 2, and Chapter 279, Section 24, of the General Laws. The 25 years in Groom's sentence is the longest minimum term the law allows for second-degree murder.

The plea his lawyer, Elliot Levine, had asked for in an Aug. 26 letter to District Attorney Thomas Quinn III was voluntary manslaughter with a sentence of 19 to 20 years, WJAR reported in October. Manslaughter carries up to 20 years in state prison under Chapter 265, Section 13.

How the case unfolded

Groom called Rehoboth police on Aug. 8, 2025, to report Monteiro missing, prosecutors said in court last year, according to NBC Boston. Her body was later found buried on his property, and police said at the time that Groom told them he stabbed her, WJAR reported, adding that she was 11 weeks pregnant.

A Bristol County grand jury indicted Groom in November 2025 on charges of murder and witness intimidation, Quinn's office announced at the time, the Fall River Reporter reported. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Nov. 25, 2025, the Fall River Reporter reported, citing court records, and he had been held without bail since his arrest in August 2025, NBC Boston reported.

Her family's objection

On Wednesday, Oct. 28, Monteiro's family and many supporters came to Fall River Superior Court to oppose the manslaughter request. The district attorney's office was not ready to decide on it that day, and the case was set for Tuesday as a possible plea hearing, WJAR reported.

Her older sister, Faith Monteiro, told WJAR in October that a plea deal would not bring justice for her family. "It's not okay, it's not just, and my sister and her baby deserve more than that," she told the station.

Faith Monteiro is also starting a nonprofit in her sister's honor to support expectant mothers and children facing homelessness, domestic violence and mental health challenges, WJAR reported.

What comes next

Under the sentence, Groom becomes eligible for parole after 25 years, WJAR reported. South Coast 360 will add the district attorney's account of Tuesday's hearing to this story when we have it.

Our Oct. 28 stories on the plea request and her family's objection and on that day's hearing have more on the case.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

The plea, the charge and the sentence come from WJAR's Nov. 10 report and the Fall River Reporter's, which cites court records for the sentence; NBC Boston's Nov. 10 report, crediting WJAR, says the reduction was part of a plea deal. We read all three on Nov. 10. Earlier court steps come from the district attorney's announcement and court records as the Fall River Reporter published them in November 2025, and from WJAR's Oct. 27 and Oct. 28 reports. Penalties come from the General Laws, read Nov. 10.

Corrections

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Sources (10)

  1. WJAR NBC 10, "Rehoboth man gets life sentence with possible parole for killing pregnant girlfriend" (Nov. 10, 2026)The second-degree murder plea and sentence of life with parole eligibility after 25 years, the reduction from first-degree murder, 3 to 5 years on witness intimidation, and police's earlier statements that Groom confessed to stabbing Monteiro, who was 11 weeks pregnant. Page metadata shows it posted Nov. 10, 2026, 12:08 p.m. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
  2. Fall River Reporter, "Bristol County man sentenced in Fall River Superior Court to murder of 18-year-old pregnant girlfriend" (Nov. 10, 2026)The guilty plea in Fall River Superior Court Tuesday, Groom's age, and "court records show" the life sentence with parole possible in 25 years along with witness intimidation; prosecutors' earlier account, which it credited to WCVB, that Groom reported Monteiro missing Aug. 8. Page metadata shows it posted Nov. 10, 2026, 12:15 p.m. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
  3. NBC Boston, "Massachusetts man sentenced for grisly killing of pregnant girlfriend" (Nov. 10, 2026)The plea to second-degree murder as part of a plea deal (credited to WJAR), held without bail since his arrest in late August 2025, and prosecutors' account in court last year that Groom reported Monteiro missing on Aug. 8, 2025. Page data shows it posted Nov. 10, 2026, 12:48 p.m. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
  4. WJAR NBC 10, "Possible plea deal remains undecided for man accused of killing pregnant girlfriend" (Oct. 28, 2026; first posted as "Hearing held for Rehoboth man accused killing of pregnant girlfriend")The Oct. 28 pretrial conference: the district attorney not ready to decide, the Nov. 10 date for a possible plea hearing, and, in the first version read Oct. 28, many people in court in support of her family. Read Oct. 28 and Nov. 10, 2026.
  5. WJAR NBC 10, "Kylee Monteiro's family urges community to oppose proposed plea deal in killing" (Oct. 27, 2026)The Aug. 26 defense letter as the station described it, Faith Monteiro's words and her nonprofit. Read Oct. 28, 2026.
  6. Fall River Reporter, "Bristol County District Attorney announces indictment in the murder of 18-year-old Kylee Monteiro" (Nov. 20, 2025)The district attorney's announcement of the indictment for murder and witness intimidation, the Aug. 7, 2025 date and County Street. Read Oct. 28, 2026.
  7. Fall River Reporter, "Bristol County man pleads not guilty in Fall River Superior Court to murder of 18-year-old girlfriend" (Nov. 25, 2025)"According to court records": the Nov. 25, 2025 arraignment and not guilty plea. Read Oct. 28, 2026.
  8. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 265, Section 2Second-degree murder: life in state prison, parole eligibility after the term the court fixes under Chapter 279, Section 24. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
  9. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 279, Section 24For a life sentence other than first-degree murder, the court fixes a minimum term of not less than 15 years nor more than 25 years. Read Nov. 10, 2026.
  10. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 265, Section 13Manslaughter: not more than 20 years in state prison. Read Nov. 10, 2026.

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