Caught On Video: Husband Repeatedly Stabs Wife At Barber Shop, Faces Attempted Murder Charges
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A New York City man is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly repeatedly stabbing his wife at a barber shop in Hamilton Heights.
Police say Jose Castillo is the man caught on surveillance video in last Thursday's shocking attack.
Surveillance video shows the victim, 38, sitting in FG Barber Shop around 8:30 a.m. Police say Castillo can be seen in surveillance video entering the shop and approaching her before pulling out an object like a screwdriver from his left pocket. The video shows the man stabbing her before barber Angel Sierra rushes over and starts wrestling with him.
"He's never witnessed something like that," Anais Reyes - who was translating for Sierra - told CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis. "He knocked him down to the floor. He tried to avoid him attacking her, and it was impossible because he was so strong."
The suspect was able to get free of Sierra and then attacked his wife again, stabbing her and then slashing at Sierra, who again tried to intervene.
The woman rushes to the front of the shop and attempts to use the door as a shield between her and her attacker. Surveillance video shows the two struggling fiercely as the man stabs her at least two more times.
When she finally is able to get in position to get out of the shop, he stabs her twice more, and she stumbles out into the street, landing on the ground.
The woman can be seen desperately trying to keep the man off of her and away from her, kicking at him to try to keep him from stabbing her. He eventually stabs her again even as she is defenseless on the ground.
A passerby can be seen interfering in the attack, and the woman eventually collapses by the barber shop door.
The woman was rushed to the hospital. Police said her wounds were not life threatening.
"[Sierra] hasn't slept for four days because it has impacted him so badly," Reyes said.
The couple had only been married for a short period of time and the attack was apparently motivated by Castillo's belief she may have been cheating, police said.
Friends told DeAngelis the victim had recently moved to New York from the Dominican Republic and the two were having marriage issues.
Castillo turned himself in to police. He faces assault, attempted murder, and weapons charges.
He was arraigned the next day and bail was set at $250,000.
"I think it's crazy, it's like a movie," Reyes said. "For somebody to react that way, it's so wrong."
"He's no good. To me, he's dead, as far as I'm concerned," said Hamilton Heights resident Angela Velez. "I have no pity for him because what he did was very cruel."
"[Sierra]'s happy he avoided a bigger situation where something could've happened to her, she could have died," Reyes said.
