Paul Elias

Paul Elias was a hard-working and fun-loving father who loved life, his family said. A native of São Miguel in the Azores, the 44-year-old male had lived most of his life in Fall River, Massachusetts, and worked for many years in construction. He was the father of two young daughters and was an active vice president of the Portuguese American Club in New Bedford. His sister-in-law, Leeann Elias, remembered him as someone who loved golfing, riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and everything about life. She said he never looked for trouble.

In the early morning hours of Sunday, June 14, 2009, Elias was at the Regal Beagle Sports Bar and Grille on Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford’s North End. Around 1:45 a.m., as the bar was preparing for last call, a fight broke out. According to police reports, four young men had been "causing trouble" at a corner table. When another patron tried to escort them out, the situation escalated. One of the men allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed a woman in the leg and slashed her husband’s forearm. The brawl then spilled out of the bar and onto the street.

Relatives said that Elias had stepped in to help someone during the altercation. Outside the bar, as Elias and two of his friends pursued two of the suspects, two other men reportedly ran up from behind and attacked them. Elias was punched in the back of the head. The force of the blow caused him to fall and strike his head on the pavement. He lost consciousness immediately. First responders transported him to St. Luke's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. An autopsy later confirmed his death was a homicide.

The New Bedford Police Department and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office launched an investigation. Police Chief Ronald E. Teachman noted that the bar had been crowded and appealed for the many potential witnesses to come forward. Investigators interviewed several people and collected evidence from the scene, including a silver-bladed knife found under the pool table. A few days later, police arrested 24-year-old Jason A. Miguel, who they said was affiliated with the Gangsta Disciples street gang. He was charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for the stabbings inside the bar, but he was not charged in connection with Elias's death.

The men who attacked Paul Elias and his companions fled the scene and have never been identified. Police released descriptions of the suspects. One man who fled with the stabbing suspect was described as "tan-skinned" with long, black hair, possibly named "Mike," and wearing a Celtics jersey. The two suspects who allegedly attacked Elias from behind were described as young men; one was a thin white male wearing a dark baseball cap, and the other was "tan-skinned" with dark, "twitchy" eyes. The investigation into Elias's death continued, but the case grew cold.

"It's horrible when somebody takes a life like this," Leeann Elias told a reporter in the days after the murder. "He just got up to help somebody. It wasn't even his fight... He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." His death was the third homicide in New Bedford in less than two weeks, leaving another family searching for answers and justice.

More than a decade later, the case remains open. The Bristol County District Attorney's Office continues to list the death of Paul Elias as an unsolved homicide. Investigators still hope that someone who was at the Regal Beagle that night or who knows the identity of the attackers will finally come forward with the information needed to close the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the New Bedford Police Department's detective division at (508) 991-6300 or use the anonymous tip line at (508) 99-CRIME.