BOSTON, Oct. 13, 2016— The man accused of stabbing 23-year-old Rafael Guzman to death during a fight at a party two years ago will serve almost 20 years in state prison after pleading guilty today, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

AQUILES PEREZ (D.O.B. 9/7/81) of Hyde Park pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, armed assault with intent to murder, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for the Dec. 21, 2014, incident that claimed the Guzman’s life and injured two others. At prosecutors’ request, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Christine Roach sentenced him to a term of 14 to 19 years in state prison for Guzman’s homicide and concurrent terms of eight to 12 years and three to five years for less serious injuries to another combatant and a minor injury to a woman who attempted to break up the fight.

Had the case proceeded to trial, Assistant District Attorney Julie Higgins of the DA’s Homicide Unit would have introduced evidence and testimony to show that Perez made advances on two female guests at the Blue Hill Avenue party. Guzman told him to leave the women alone, prosecutors said, leading to a physical confrontation between the two men that ended when Perez stabbed Guzman in the hallway outside the party.

The evidence would have shown that a second man charged at Perez, that the two men fought, and that Perez stabbed this man in the chest during the fracas. The evidence would also have shown that this latter victim’s sister attempted to break the fight up and suffered a laceration to her hand when she did so.

Eliana Builes was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. The defendant was represented by attorney Brad Bailey.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.