Queens Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Running Over Wife with Car & Stabbing Her
Oct 19, 2023, 01:00 AM
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Stephen Giraldo, 36, was sentenced to 25 years behind bars after pleading guilty to attempted murder. Giraldo intentionally rammed his Ford Explorer into his estranged wife, 41-year-old Sophia Giraldo, leaving her in a coma with severe neurological damage.
During his sentencing at Queens Supreme Court, Giraldo, who pleaded guilty in September to the attempted murder of Sophia, took the opportunity to address his comatose victim. In a disturbing turn of events, he forgave her for what he claimed were slights against him as a husband and father.
“Sophia, I forgive you for not respecting me as your pre-designational husband. I forgive you for not honoring me as a good and loving father,” Giraldo declared in court, repeating the words multiple times.
Outside the courtroom, Sophia's father, Pastor Charles Brooks, expressed his family's dismay, labeling Giraldo as "manipulative, deceitful, self-absorbed."
In surveillance video Giraldo was seen pulling up to his estranged spouse’s home in a white Ford Explorer around 5:20 a.m. two days after Christmas.
He was supposed to be dropping off their children, ages 6, 9 and 11. When their mother walked out, Giraldo told the kids to “keep your seatbelts on” and hit the gas, prosecutors said.
The car struck Sophia and hopped the curb, and the impact sent it tumbling to one side — but the driver wasn’t done.
“Giraldo crawled over his son in the front passenger seat and out of the vehicle’s window and then stabbed his wife with a knife,” according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Sophia suffered “severe neurological damage,” broken leg bones, and a stab wound through her liver.
“This is one of the most brutal cases we have prosecuted,” Katz said in a statement Friday.
The court heard emotional impact statements from the victim's family before Giraldo offered what seemed to be an apology, only to conclude with the bizarre statement of forgiveness towards Sophia.
“To Sophia, I never would have thought that this would be our new normal,” he said.
“Please forgive me for this unspeakable, unfathomable, unimaginable hurt I inflicted upon you. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you in any way, shape, or form. I will always love you; you will always have a special place in my heart, and I pray for your recovery,” Stephen said.
As Giraldo requested forgiveness from his family and friends, he also offered "helpful suggestions" to the new guardian of his children about topics to discuss during dinner, prompting the judge to intervene.
“We’re not going to do dinner table topics. We’re not doing that,” the judge said.
Giraldo then asked his family and friends for “forgiveness.
“I will do my best to earn and regain your trust of everybody here in the courtroom,” he said — before adding that he wanted to “recommend two books.”
The judge quickly cut him off again, saying, “We don’t need book recommendations.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky handed down a 25-year prison term, with an additional five years of post-release supervision and a ban on contacting Sophia and their children.
“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," said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. "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.”
Sophia Giraldo filed for divorce last year. She and her children moved into a domestic violence shelter for a period of time in 2019.
She reflected on her experiences and offered advice on her self-help podcast, “The Unfiltered and Free Podcast,” which promoted a “real and raw conversation about living life after betrayal and abuse.”
“Sophia Giraldo knows firsthand what it’s like to experience both the personal growth and hot mess of navigating a life turned upside down by a toxic relationship,” the description reads.
In her final episode, which aired days before the attack, she described her marriage as “toxic.” She said she decided to leave the relationship while taking her children into consideration.
Jonathan Giraldo, who contested the accuracy of her podcast and statements, insisting, "My brother is nothing like that. He's a gentle, sweet guy."
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During his sentencing at Queens Supreme Court, Giraldo, who pleaded guilty in September to the attempted murder of Sophia, took the opportunity to address his comatose victim. In a disturbing turn of events, he forgave her for what he claimed were slights against him as a husband and father.
“Sophia, I forgive you for not respecting me as your pre-designational husband. I forgive you for not honoring me as a good and loving father,” Giraldo declared in court, repeating the words multiple times.
Outside the courtroom, Sophia's father, Pastor Charles Brooks, expressed his family's dismay, labeling Giraldo as "manipulative, deceitful, self-absorbed."
In surveillance video Giraldo was seen pulling up to his estranged spouse’s home in a white Ford Explorer around 5:20 a.m. two days after Christmas.
He was supposed to be dropping off their children, ages 6, 9 and 11. When their mother walked out, Giraldo told the kids to “keep your seatbelts on” and hit the gas, prosecutors said.
The car struck Sophia and hopped the curb, and the impact sent it tumbling to one side — but the driver wasn’t done.
“Giraldo crawled over his son in the front passenger seat and out of the vehicle’s window and then stabbed his wife with a knife,” according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Sophia suffered “severe neurological damage,” broken leg bones, and a stab wound through her liver.
“This is one of the most brutal cases we have prosecuted,” Katz said in a statement Friday.
The court heard emotional impact statements from the victim's family before Giraldo offered what seemed to be an apology, only to conclude with the bizarre statement of forgiveness towards Sophia.
“To Sophia, I never would have thought that this would be our new normal,” he said.
“Please forgive me for this unspeakable, unfathomable, unimaginable hurt I inflicted upon you. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you in any way, shape, or form. I will always love you; you will always have a special place in my heart, and I pray for your recovery,” Stephen said.
As Giraldo requested forgiveness from his family and friends, he also offered "helpful suggestions" to the new guardian of his children about topics to discuss during dinner, prompting the judge to intervene.
“We’re not going to do dinner table topics. We’re not doing that,” the judge said.
Giraldo then asked his family and friends for “forgiveness.
“I will do my best to earn and regain your trust of everybody here in the courtroom,” he said — before adding that he wanted to “recommend two books.”
The judge quickly cut him off again, saying, “We don’t need book recommendations.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky handed down a 25-year prison term, with an additional five years of post-release supervision and a ban on contacting Sophia and their children.
“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," said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. "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.”
Sophia Giraldo filed for divorce last year. She and her children moved into a domestic violence shelter for a period of time in 2019.
She reflected on her experiences and offered advice on her self-help podcast, “The Unfiltered and Free Podcast,” which promoted a “real and raw conversation about living life after betrayal and abuse.”
“Sophia Giraldo knows firsthand what it’s like to experience both the personal growth and hot mess of navigating a life turned upside down by a toxic relationship,” the description reads.
In her final episode, which aired days before the attack, she described her marriage as “toxic.” She said she decided to leave the relationship while taking her children into consideration.
Jonathan Giraldo, who contested the accuracy of her podcast and statements, insisting, "My brother is nothing like that. He's a gentle, sweet guy."
Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj
Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com
The latest on Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK’s Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com