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Stephen Giraldo, an MTA driver from Queens, is accused of running over his estranged wife before he stabbed her multiple times while their three children watched the horrifying act from the car, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said on Wednesday, December 28.
In a press conference, Katz said that on Tuesday, December 27, Stephen Giraldo, 36, got into an SUV with his three kids before he called their mom, 41, Sophia Giraldo, and asked her to come down from her Flushing apartment.
Shortly after, Giraldo hit his wife with the vehicle while his children watched and stabbed her multiple times as she lay incapacitated on the ground. The children were reportedly not hurt during the incident.
Sophia Giraldo, who works as a life coach to help victims of domestic abuse, was rushed to a hospital where she remains in critical condition. The district attorney said that the mother-of-three sustained traumatic brain injuries, broken bones in her leg, and a stab wound that punctured her liver.
Stephen Giraldo is accused of attempted murder after he tried to kill his wife by ramming her with an SUV
Stephen Giraldo stands accused of attempted murder after he tried to kill his wife by running her over in an SUV while he had his three children, aged 6, 9, and 11, in the car.
On Tuesday, December 27, at around 5.20 am, Giraldo, seated in the driver’s seat of the SUV with his children, called their mother, Sophia, who had filed for divorce from the accused in August.
Shortly after, Giraldo asked her to come down from her apartment and ran her over by speeding up the car. The impact of the hit caused her to fly over the fence and the car to flip over on the driver’s side of the iron-wrought fence. He then clambered out of the car from the passenger’s side and stabbed his wife as she lay immobile from the hit.
Giraldo turned himself over to the police after they arrived at the scene. During his bail hearing on Wednesday, District attorney Melinda Katz recounted the horrific incident to the judge, who refused to grant bail.
Giraldo remains in custody on suicide watch, while his wife, Sophia Giraldo, who describes herself as a survivor of betrayal, trauma, and abuse, fights for her life at the New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital.
In an impassioned statement, District Attorney Melinda Katz said:
“The brutality of the attack, and the fact that it was committed in full view of the victim’s three young children, stir heartbreak and outrage in all of us.”
The charges against Stephen Giraldo
The couple’s three kids are reportedly being looked after by family members. Giraldo was charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal possession of a weapon. He is slated to be back in court in January 2023, and if convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
