New York Man Sentenced in ‘Brutal’ Attempted Murder Case Told Children to Buckle Up, Rammed Truck into Wife, Then Stabbed Her
A Queens man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to kill his wife.
Days after the 2022 Christmas holiday, the estranged husband ran over his wife, the mother of his three children, climbed out of his SUV, and attempted to stab her.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky sentenced Stephen Giraldo, 37, to 25 years in prison, with five years of post-release supervision.
The borough’s district attorney’s office released a statement announcing Giraldo’s fate, noting that his actions have left his estranged wife, Sophia Giraldo, 41, unconscious for the past nine months.
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The incident occurred on Dec. 27, 2022, around 5:20 a.m.
Security video footage captured his white Ford Explorer SUV pulling up to Sophia Giraldo’s house, where he was transporting the couple’s children, aged 6, 9, and 11, back to her residence. They were not living together, as she had filed for divorce a year earlier.
As the mother came out of the house and walked in front of his truck, the defendant told the children to “keep your seatbelt on” before accelerating and driving into the woman, officials say.
The impact of the collision caused the vehicle to flip onto its side.
While the SUV was on its side, Stephen Giraldo climbed over his son, who was in the front passenger seat, and pushed himself out of the window with a blade. After exiting the SUV, he approached his already injured wife and began stabbing her in the chest.
Sophia Giraldo suffered several broken bones in her leg and neurological damage from the collision. Additionally, she suffered a punctured liver due to the stabbing. She lost consciousness and has been under medical care since the attack.
At his Oct. 6 sentencing, the convicted husband stated, “Sophia, I forgive you for not respecting me as your pre-designated husband. I forgive you for not honoring me as a good and loving father.”
“This is one of the most brutal cases we have prosecuted. 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,” District Attorney Katz said in a statement.
“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,” Katz added.
The Giraldos had a volatile relationship from the beginning. The mother shared her story on “The Redefining Wealth Podcast,” stating that they got married on October 3, 2009, and four days later, she was already in tears because she knew something was not right.