Sophia Giraldo.Photo: Sophia Giraldo/Instagram
A New York City dad has been arrested and charged with attempted murder and other crimes for allegedly running his wife over with the family’s SUV and then stabbing her — all in front of their three children, authorities said.
Stephen Giraldo, 36, was taken into custody at the scene in Flushing, Queens. He has also been charged with assault, reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal possession of a weapon in the Dec. 27 incident that left his wife, Sophia Giraldo, hospitalized with critical injuries, according to a press release from the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Stephen Giraldo.Fox 5 New York
Video surveillance reportedly shows Stephen getting behind the wheel of a parked white Ford Explorer around 5:20 a.m., according to the District Attorney’s office press release about the incident. The couple’s three kids, ages 11, 9, and 6, were also in the car.
When Sophia, 41, walked in front of the vehicle, Stephen allegedly told the children to “keep your seat belt on,” before plowing into his wife, prosecutors claimed.
“After colliding with the victim, the car turned onto its side,” the release states. “The defendant allegedly crawled out the passenger side window of the vehicle and stabbed his wife with a knife.”
The woman was left with severe neurological damage, along with a punctured liver and broken bones, the DA’s office said.
The children were not injured.
“The brutality of the attack, and the fact that it was committed in full view of the victim’s three young children, stirs heartbreak and outrage in all of us,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in the news release. “My thoughts are with the children.”
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Sophia runs Beyond Beautiful, a life coaching business that aims to help rebuild confidence in survivors of betrayal and domestic abuse, according toher website.Sophia also hosts a podcast called"Unfiltered and Free."
Sophia filed for divorce from Stephen earlier this year, multiple outlets report.
Stephen, who works as an MTA bus driver, has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the current investigation, the agency toldNBC4.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
