Hector Manuel Olivo Quintero, age 28, of 82 1/2 West Hollis Street, Apartment F, Nashua

NASHUA – The 23-year-old man stabbed multiple times early Monday, allegedly by Nashua resident Hector Manuel Olivo Quintero, sustained serious, “potentially fatal” puncture wounds and lost “a tremendous amount of blood,” a prosecutor said in Superior Court on Tuesday.

Assistant County Attorney Michael Miller also said the young man, who remains hospitalized, “is afraid for his safety,” and wants Quintero to stay in jail.

Quintero’s alleged actions “show an extreme indifference to the value of human life,” Miller said, telling the court that the alleged victim was stabbed in the head, the neck, the chest, right arm, left hand and left hip” during the attack that drew a dozen police officers and detectives, along with a K9 Unit, to an apartment building at 12 Hanover St.

Attorney Sarah Amorin, however, who represented Quintero at Tuesday’s bail hearing, said her client is “an American citizen originally from Puerto Rico who has no criminal record,” but does have a full-time job and an apartment and supports financially his two children who live with their mother, Quintero’s ex-wife, in Chicago.

Quintero, 28, of 82 1/2 W. Hollis St., Apt. F, looked down at the defense table for much of the hearing and at times appeared to become emotional. He is facing nine counts of first-degree assault, Class A felonies, and one count each of falsifying physical evidence and reckless conduct, Class B felonies.

Judge Charles Temple granted Miller’s request that Quintero be housed on preventive detention, citing the seriousness of the allegations and his determination that his release would endanger himself and others.

Upon Temple’s order, Amorin asked the court schedule an evidentiary hearing for Quintero, to which Temple agreed.

Miller, meanwhile, said that after allegedly stabbing the man, Quintero fled the scene, allegedly concealed the weapon in a shopping bag and threw it into a trash bin.

He said Quintero allegedly confronted the man outside 12 Hanover St., but Quintero told police he only wanted to talk to the man – but Quintero “came with a weapon (and) was wearing a ski mask.”

Miller rejected a defense theory that Quintero was acting in self-defense when he allegedly attacked the man.

“There is no evidence at all that the (alleged) victim attacked the defendant, in any way,” Miller said.

Amorin countered that there is in fact “evidence of self-defense,” noting that Quintero allegedly told police he was threatened with a box cutter, and police reportedly found a box cutter in the alleged victim’s vehicle.

“So there is evidence of self-defense,” she added.

And Quintero “had no intention to hurt or kill anyone” on Monday, Amorin said. Further, when Quintero learned around 11:15 p.m. Monday that a warrant had been issued for his arrest, he turned himself in to police.

That, Amorin said, shows that Quintero is not planning to flee.

“He’s been a good citizen his entire life. He has every intention of seeing this through,” Amorin said.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256, or at dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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