What to Know
- The man who faced a litany of charges for intentionally running over his wife while their three young boys were in his SUV before stabbing the woman will spend decades behind bars.
- Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Friday Stephen Giraldo, 37, was sentenced to 25 years in prison with five years post-release supervision for the attempted murder of his estranged wife, who has been unconscious since he deliberately plowed into her nine months ago with his SUV, then stabbed her in the chest.
- The mother of three suffered severe neurological damage, broken bones in her leg and a stab wound that punctured her liver. Although she survived the vicious attack, she has not regained consciousness and has been under medical care ever since.
The man who faced a litany of charges for intentionally running over his wife in Queens while their three young boys were in his SUV before stabbing the woman will spend decades behind bars.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Friday Stephen Giraldo, 37, was sentenced to 25 years in prison with five years post-release supervision for the attempted murder of his estranged wife, who has been unconscious since he deliberately plowed into her nine months ago with his SUV, then stabbed her in the chest.
Security video captured Giraldo in a white Ford Explorer SUV outside of 41-year-old Sophia Giraldo's residence on Dec. 27, 2022 at around 5:20 a.m. Their three children, ages 6, 9 and 11 were also in the car.
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According to the charges, when Sophia, his estranged wife, walked in front of the vehicle, Giraldo told his children to “keep your seat belt on” and drove the SUV directly into her.
After plowing into her, the car turned onto its side and Giraldo climbed over one of his children sitting in the front passenger seat, made his way out the window and stabbed his estranged wife in the chest.
Police arrested Giraldo at the scene. The three children who were inside the vehicle at the time of the horrific crime were not injured.
The mother of three suffered severe neurological damage, broken bones in her leg and a stab wound that punctured her liver. Although she survived the vicious attack, she has not regained consciousness and has been under medical care ever since.
Sources previously told News 4 New York that there was a history of domestic violence. At the time of the crime, Giraldo did not live with his estranged wife at the residence where the vicious attack took place.
“This is one of the most brutal cases we have prosecuted," Katz said. "To tell your children to ‘buckle up,’ purposefully hit their mother, and then climb over your son to continue your attack with a knife is unconscionable. In holding the defendant accountable and securing a lengthy prison sentence, we hope we have achieved some measure of justice on behalf of the victim and her loved ones.”
