A Long Island man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for stabbing his girlfriend in her neck in front of three children, officials announced Thursday.
Jorge Guevara, 49, of Bay Shore, was convicted in June of first-degree assault and related charges in the stabbing of his then-girlfriend during a domestic dispute on March 28, 2023, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said in a news release.
The woman had returned home from work when the two started arguing, officials said. Guevara then threatened the victim with a knife.
As the two were struggling over the knife, Guevara grabbed a pair of scissors from a nearby desk and stabbed the victim “in the neck and shoulder repeatedly,” according to the district attorney’s office.
Three “minor children” were present during the attack, Tierney said. He offered no details about the children’s ages or how they are related to the woman or Guevara.
After the stabbing, Guevara refused to allow the victim or any of the children to call 911, officials said.
A neighbor who heard the woman screaming for help went into the house to offer assistance, but Guevara would not allow her to call 911. When the neighbor tried to leave, she couldn’t get the door to open and was forced to jump out of a window.
Only then the neighbor was able to call police.
The victim was eventually transported to a nearby hospital where she had to undergo emergency surgery for a “deep laceration to her neck,” authorities said.
A Suffolk County jury found Guevara guilty on all counts on June 19, 2024. On Wednesday, Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski sentenced him to 15 years behind bars followed by five years of post-release supervision.
“This case represents a horrific act of domestic violence that will leave lasting scars on all involved,” Tierney said Thursday in a statement.
“We cannot begin to fathom the terror those children experienced, or the betrayal and pain the victim suffered at the hands of someone who should have been her protector,” he added. “We hope this outcome aids the family as they begin their journey of healing and recovery.”