Dorchester woman charged with brutal assault on sister
BOSTON, January 21, 2024 – A Dorchester woman had been ordered held on $1,000 bail and other conditions after being arraigned Thursday for beating and injurying her sister in December after the two had been out drinking in Boston, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
DREAM GILLENWATER, 19, was charged in Roxbury BMC with one count of assault and battery and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (shod foot, sidewalk). Judge Joseph Griffin ordered Gillenwater held on $1,000 bail. Griffin also ordered Gillenwater to stay away from her sister, refain from alcohol and drug use, and be fitted with a GPS tracking device if released. Gillenwater will return to court February 8 for a pre-trial hearing.
On December 8, Boston police responded to a call for an unconscious person at 174 Ipswich Street. Officers found the victim, 24, on the ground and seemingly out of breath. Gillenwater, also on the scene, appeared intoxicated and was verbally abusive toward the officers. Gillenwater told the officers she and her sister had been out drinking.
A witness told police that he saw the two arguing at a bus stop and then saw Gillenwater “slugging” her sister in the back of the head as the sister attempted to walk away. The witness intervened to stop the altercation while calling 911. However, the victim fell to the ground and Gillenwater continued the assault.
Video surveillance obtained from a nearby school by Boston detectives corroborated the witness’s account. It also showed Gillenwater stomping on the victim’s head several times. Video also showed Gillenwater standing with both feet on the victim’s head, and then grabbing the victim’s head and slamming it against the sidewalk about four times.
“The brutality of this assault is evident from the facts, but that it was an attack on a sibling gives it an added dimension of tragedy. It’s fortunate for the victim that the witness called 911 and police responded so quickly,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications