NEW YORK, NY – A Queens man who mowed down his wife with the couple’s SUV while their three children were seated inside has officially been charged today,
According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Stephen Giraldo has been charged with attempted murder, assault, and other crimes after allegedly hitting his wife with the SUV and stabbing her with a knife. The incident occurred in front of their Flushing residence, the couple’s three children were in the vehicle, Katz said.
A complaint against Giraldo, 36, of 144th Street in Jamaica, Queens, charged him with attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first and second degrees, reckless endangerment in the second degree, endangering a child’s welfare, and possession of a weapon.
According to the complaint, on December 27, at approximately 5:20 a.m., video surveillance footage shows the defendant enter the driver’s seat of a white Ford Explorer parked near the intersection of Parsons Boulevard and Sanford Avenue.
He reportedly told the children to keep their seatbelts on while he was running over their mother.
“The defendant’s three children ages 11, 9 and 6, were seated in the car. The defendant’s 41-year-old wife Sophia Giraldo walked in front of the vehicle. The defendant allegedly told the children to “keep your seat belt on” and accelerated, barreling the car directly into the victim,” court records state. “After colliding with the victim, the car turned onto its side. The defendant allegedly crawled out the passenger side window of the vehicle and stabbed his wife with a knife. The defendant was at the scene when police arrived.”
The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries, including severe neurological damage, broken bones in her leg, and a stab wound that punctured her liver.
“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. My thoughts are with the children,” Katz said.
The incident was sparked by a domestic altercation between Giraldo and his wife Sophia. Mrs. Giraldo filed for divorce against her husband earlier this year.
She knew something bad was coming. In a podcast recently, she said, “I’ve just been thinking about my expectation and how as a result of the trauma I tend to expect the negative. I tend to expect the worst thing to happen, the worst-case scenario. You know, all those things. And I want my new year to look different.”