Lake Grove Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Murder His Wife
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that a 45-year-old Lake Grove man[1] pleaded guilty to Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and other related charges, for beating and strangling his wife in front of their 17-year-old daughter in May 2022.
“This defendant directed his violent rage in a horrific torrent of domestic violence,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Thankfully, the victim and their daughter were able to escape the defendant and their home before this terrible night ended in the victim’s death.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on May 22, 2022, at approximately 2:30 a.m., the victim was awakened when the defendant, her husband, turned the lights on in their bedroom. When the victim questioned the defendant about what he was doing, he became enraged and dragged her out of the bed and into the bathtub. While the victim was in the bathtub, the defendant strangled her until she lost consciousness. Their 17-year-old daughter heard the commotion and attempted to gain entry to the bathroom.
The defendant then dragged the victim into the kitchen in front of their child and held her up by her neck before banging her head repeatedly into the cabinets and countertop. The child pleaded with the defendant to stop and attempted to call the police, but the defendant took the phone away from her and broke it. The defendant then continued to beat the victim, holding her by the neck and throwing her across the living room.
The victim then went into the basement, but the defendant chased her and again grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the wall. When she fell to the ground, the defendant grabbed her by her hair and repeatedly bashed her head into the cement floor as the victim drifted in and out of consciousness. The victim was finally able to run out of the house with the help of her daughter, and they ran to a neighbor’s house where they called the police.
When the police arrived, the defendant barricaded himself in the house for five hours before law enforcement was finally able to place him under arrest. The victim was transported to the hospital where she was treated for multiple skull fractures, loss of hearing in her right ear, and bruising throughout her face and body.
On August 2, 2023, the defendant pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable John Iliou, to the charges of:
- One count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a Class B violent felony;
- One count of Assault in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony;
- One count of Strangulation in the First Degree, a Class C violent felony;
- One count of Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony;
- One count of Strangulation in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony;
- One count of Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree, a Class A misdemeanor;
- One count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree, a Class A misdemeanor; and
- Two counts of Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree, a Class A misdemeanor.
The defendant is due back in court for sentencing on September 19, 2023, and is being represented by Christopher Brocato, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Michelle Chiuchiolo and Erin Branigan of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau, with investigative assistance from Detective Susan Cataldo of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fourth Squad.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.