A Roxbury man will spend up to 20 years in state prison after his convictions on four out of five indicted housebreaks over a two-year period, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

A Suffolk Superior Court jury yesterday convicted DARYL TAVARES (D.O.B. 10/24/62) of four counts each of breaking and entering, larceny over $250, and wanton destruction of property over $250 for breaking into homes in Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan between 2008 and 2010. Jurors acquitted Tavares of charges related to a fifth incident in Dorchester.

At a separate hearing this morning, O’Rourke introduced evidence of Tavares’ prior state prison terms for larceny and Judge Raymond Brassard found him guilty of being an habitual offender.

At sentencing, O’Rourke recommended that Judge Brassard take judicial notice of Tavares as a common and notorious thief under Ch. 266, Sect. 40, of the Massachusetts General Laws and sentence him to a term of 15 to 20 years in prison or, if he was not so inclined, sentence him as an habitual offender under Ch. 279, Sect. 25, to two consecutive terms of 10 years each – the maximum for breaking and entering during the day. Brassard chose the former option.

During the four-day trial, O’Rourke introduced evidence and testimony proving that Tavares was responsible for the following incidents:

1. A Dec. 17, 2008, break-in at 139 Washington St. in Dorchester, where he pried the common area’s door open, damaging it, and stole property from an apartment. A glove was recovered from the scene and DNA testing developed a profile that was later found to match Tavares’.
2. A Dec. 8, 2009, break-in at 38 Fayston St. in Roxbury, where he damaged the front door and doorknob gaining access to the building and stole property from the residence. A hat was recovered from the scene and DNA testing developed a profile that was later found to match Tavares’.
3. A May 6, 2010, break-in at 163 Delhi St. in Mattapan, where he damaged the door forcing it open and stole property from the residence. A partially-consumed can of beer – still cold when the victim came home – was recovered from the scene and DNA testing developed a profile that was later found to match Tavares’.
4. An Aug. 20, 2010, break-in at 75 Humboldt Ave. in Roxbury, where he damaged both the front and back doors gaining access and stole property from the residence. A cigarette butt was recovered from the scene and DNA testing developed a profile that was later found to match Tavares’.

Tavares was acquitted of a March 12, 2009, break-in at 495 Columbia Rd. in Dorchester. Recovered at that scene were two gloves that contained multiple DNA profiles; Tavares’ was among them but he was not the sole contributor.

Click here to view a map showing the location of each incident.

In 2010, criminalists from the Boston Police Crime Laboratory matched the DNA profiles from the evidence at each scene to each other – and to Tavares, who had been ordered to give a DNA sample because of his prior convictions, leading to his arrest and indictment.

Jennifer Stott was the DA’s victim-witness advocate. Tavares was represented by attorney Neil Madden.