A man from New York has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly running over his estranged wife who filed for divorce back in August. 36-year-old Stephen Giraldo is accused of mowing down his ex, Sophia Giraldo, with an SUV outside of her home in Queens on Tuesday, before exiting the vehicle and proceeding to stab her.
The pair share three children who were inside the vehicle when the incident occurred. Sophia was rushed to a nearby hospital and remains in critical condition, according to the New York Post, which claims that the 41-year-old had left her husband over the summer due to his violent ways.
Interestingly enough, Sophia, who hosts her own podcast dedicated to domestic abuse, had opened up about her toxic marriage to Stephen just days before the attack occurred, where she stressed about hoping for a better year after a turbulent relationship with the father of her children.
“I’ve just been thinking about my expectation and how as a result of trauma I tend to expect the negative,” she explained. “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.”
It’s still unclear what the accuser’s motive was when he allegedly ran over his estranged partner, but he’s said to have been driving with full force when he made impact with Sophia — so much that the car ended up crashing into the side of a home in the Flushing neighborhood.
Police have charged Stephen with not just attempted murder but also reckless endangerment, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Sophia’s longtime neighbor, Angelica Queen, was stunned by the news of what had transpired outside of her home, saying that the podcaster has always been very devoted to her children and that the attack had undoubtedly left her shocked.
“She is a very loving mother,” she said. “She would always be getting them ready for school. It’s just really sad. She seemed like a good mother who was very devoted to her kids. She was always with her kids. They seemed happy, very happy.”