South Boston Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Manslaughter Following Fatal Stabbing of Boyfriend in Domestic Dispute

Gisselle Pascual pleads not guilty to manslaughter in the stabbing of Kyle Bradford. Her lawyer claims she was defending herself from a life-threatening assault.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 31, 2026, 4:54 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Boston.com

Fatal Escalation in South Boston Apartment

The South Boston residential community of Old Colony Avenue became a crime scene late Friday afternoon when local police responded to reports of a violent domestic disturbance. Upon arriving at the premises just before 6 p.m., officers discovered Kyle Bradford, a resident of Cambridge, suffering from a critical stab wound. Emergency medical personnel transported Bradford to a nearby hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced dead. The incident, which began as a verbal argument, escalated rapidly into a physical confrontation that has now left a young mother facing serious felony charges and a family mourning a sudden loss.

Conflicting Accounts of the Physical Struggle

According to a police report obtained by local media, Pascual provided detectives with a detailed account of the moments leading up to the stabbing. She stated that Bradford arrived at the apartment in an intoxicated state, prompting a heated disagreement. Pascual admitted to grabbing the victim’s chest during the shouting match, at which point she claims Bradford retaliated by seizing her neck and forcibly striking her head against a wall. While Pascual suffered visible injuries, including a scratch on her neck and a bruised elbow, investigators noted that she reportedly armed herself with a knife during a brief cessation of the physical violence.

Defense Cites History of Domestic Violence

Defense attorney Peter Marano has challenged the state’s narrative, firmly labeling his client as the victim of a targeted assault. Marano emphasized that Pascual, a single mother with no prior criminal record, had been subjected to death threats via telephone earlier that day. He pointed to "black and blue finger marks" on her throat as evidence of strangulation, a high risk indicator in domestic violence cases. Furthermore, the defense highlighted Bradford’s extensive legal history, noting that he had active or dismissed cases in 11 different courts across Massachusetts and Georgia, including several prior allegations of domestic assault and battery.