A Massachusetts man charged in the death of a woman was accused of attacking another woman in 2022

A Lawrence man accused of killing a woman who lived in his apartment building was arrested in 2022 after being accused of assaulting a woman he was in a relationship with at the time.

Cristian Montero, then 34, was charged with assault on a household member following the Dec. 11, 2022, incident. Montero, now 35, is charged with the murder of another woman, Carol Flaz-Burgos, although prosecutors have not yet said what relationship, if any, the couple had.

In the 2022 incident, police went to 36 Sunset Avenue around 5:14 a.m., where they saw a woman standing in the kitchen with “watery eyes,” according to a police report filed in Lawrence District Court. The woman told police she and Montero had attended a baby shower earlier that evening and decided to continue drinking with friends.

However, Montero insisted on discussing the couple's relationship, which the woman said she did not want to do. According to police, Montero became violent towards the woman, pushed her into a room and ripped a necklace from her neck.

The woman threatened Montero that she would call the police if he continued to be violent. He then snatched the phone from her hand and later hit her on the back, police said.

At the time, Montero told police he was trying to talk to the woman about “their relationship problems” and that he “suspected his wife was cheating on him and wanted to confront her about it,” the report said.

The case never went to trial. In September 2023, Montero received six months probation after making a sufficient admission of facts. An admission of sufficient facts can replace a guilty plea in some cases.

In December of that year, a judge ended Montero's probation early at his request. In a motion letter outlining the details of his request, Montero said he had struggled to find a job because of his probation status and that he had “a household to support, four children and daily responsibilities.”

Montero, who pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday, is being held without bail in connection with Flaz-Burgos' death.