New York Dad Sentenced to 25 Years For Running Over Estranged Wife and Stabbing Her in Front of Kids.
Stephen Giraldo asked his kids to keep their ‘seatbelt on’ before he rammed into Sophia Giraldo and later stabbed her
A New York City man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison one month after pleading guilty in September to attempted murder of his estranged wife, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office said in a press statement on Friday.
Stephen Giraldo, 37, was sentenced on Friday for running over Sophia Giraldo and stabbing her in front of their three kids during the Christmas holidays in 2022, according to the statement.
Sophia, who was 41 at the time of the attack, survived but still remains unconscious 10 months after the incident, which was witnessed by their sons who were 11, 9 and 6 at the time.
“This is one of the most brutal cases we have prosecuted,” Katz said, per the statement. “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.”
She added that she hopes the sentencing “achieved some measure of justice.”
The sentencing came a day before Sophia’s birthday on Saturday, according to a social media post from her mother Deborah Brooks.
The incident took place in the early morning hours of Dec. 27 when Stephen was caught in security camera footage in his car outside Sophia’s home, according to the statement.
According to prosecutors, when Sophia walked in front of the vehicle, Stephen allegedly told the children to “keep your seat belt on” before plowing into his wife, PEOPLE reported previously.
“After colliding with the victim, the car turned onto its side,” a press release from the DA’s office said at the time. “The defendant allegedly crawled out the passenger side window of the vehicle and stabbed his wife with a knife.”
Sophia was left with severe neurological damage, along with a punctured liver and broken bones, the DA’s office said. The children were not injured in the attack.
In a GoFundMe that was created soon after the attack, Sophia’s father Chuck Brooks said in September that the attack and subsequent journey “has been whirlwind of a tragedy,” and thanked donors and supporters for “giving generously.”
The fundraiser, which has so far raised more than $50,000, has supported Sophia’s family traveling from Maryland to New York and the costs incurred during their onerous process of visits, as they outlined in detail on the page.
