Stephen Giraldo sentenced to 25 years in prison for plowing SUV into estranged wife, stabbing her in front of kids in Flushing
NEW YORK -- Stephen Giraldo, the Queens man who drove an SUV into his estranged wife before stabbing her in front of their children, was sentenced to 25 years behind bars Friday.
Giraldo, 37, sat expressionless as his estranged wife's best friend and father addressed him in court.
"There isn't much that I want to say to you that doesn't come straight from the pits of hell," Sophia Giraldo's friend said.
"You attempted to murder me and my wife's daughter," said Chuck Brooks, Sophia Giraldo's father.
Security video shows Stephen Giraldo outside Sophia Giraldo's home in Flushing on Dec. 27, 2022. He was in an SUV with their children, ages 6, 9 and 11.
According to prosecutors, when Sophia Giraldo walked in front of the vehicle, he told the children "keep your seatbelt on" and drove into her. The car turned on its side.
Prosecutors said he then climbed over one of the children to go stab his estranged wife in the chest. She suffered severe neurological damage, broken bones and a stab wound that punctured her liver. She remains in a coma.
Giraldo pleaded guilty to attempted murder in September. His attorney claimed he was dealing with mental health issues.
In court, he apologized to his estranged wife, her family and children before going on a rant about Sophia and forgiveness.
"Please forgive me for this unspeakable, unfathomable, unimaginable hurt I've inflicted upon you," Giraldo said.
Giraldo was sentenced to 25 years in prison with five years post-release supervision.
"Twenty-five years or a lifetime in prison or even execution won't satisfy my personal desire for vengeance for what you did to my daughter," said Brooks.
"The children will have to live through it and they will grow up knowing that that happened their entire life," said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Katz said there's an order of protection that extends beyond Giraldo's sentence. He cannot contact his estranged wife or their children.