Rehoboth man charged with murder of pregnant teen Kylee Monteiro

A Rehoboth man has been charged with murder after prosecutors say he admitted to stabbing an 18-year-old who said she was pregnant with his child.

Gregory Groom, 22, was arraigned Wednesday in Taunton District Court after human remains believed to be Kylee Monteiro's were found on his property Tuesday night. He pleaded not guilty.

During the arraignment streamed online by a local NBC affiliate, Bristol County Assistant District Attorney Jason Mohan said Groom had reported Monteiro missing to Rehoboth police on Aug. 8. Groom said at the time that he and Monteiro had an argument on his property, after which she walked down the driveway and was not seen since.

Mohan said Monteiro's sister received text messages on Aug. 6 in which Monteiro said that Groom had thrown her on the ground, pulled her hair and strangled her. The prosecutor recounted one message from Monteiro: "My phone is at 4%, and if I die, it was Greg."

In an interview with police a few days later, prosecutors said Groom told officers that Monteiro was about 11 weeks pregnant and that she said he was the father of the baby. He said they got into an argument after she asked to stay at his home.

Mohan said that on Aug. 19, Groom admitted to police that he stabbed her twice in the neck and once in the chest with a kitchen knife and buried her body on the 25-acre property. Groom drew police a drew a rudimentary map of the property, showing where he buried her body.

Police and medical examiners used the map to search the property and uncovered a body "consistent with Kylee Monteiro."

Bristol County prosecutors previously charged him with aggravated assault and battery of a pregnant person, domestic assault and intimidation of a witness. The charges were upgraded after police found the remains.

The judge ordered Groom held without bail. Groom is set to return to court for a hearing Sept. 10.