A man has been sentenced to spend up to two decades in prison for a horrifying knife attack on the mother of his children, which he then tried to clean up as she fled for her life.
A Night of Terror in Brentwood
Albaro Chacon, a 38-year-old Guatemalan national, was convicted on six charges following the violent assault at the woman's home in the Brentwood area of Suffolk County, New York. The court heard how the victim awoke one night to find Chacon standing over her bed, holding a knife, before he told her, "You are going to die here."
He then began aiming the blade at her chest. She managed to deflect the blows, sustaining serious stab wounds to her arms in the process. At the time, she was sharing her room with her two-year-old niece, whom she protected during the frenzied attack.
Escape and a Frantic Clean-Up Attempt
After managing to flee the house, the victim flagged down a passing motorist who helped her call the emergency services. It was only then she realised the couple's two young children, a six-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl, had been placed inside a car.
Chacon followed her outside, where their son pleaded with him to go back inside the house. He complied, and the Suffolk County Supreme Court was told he then attempted to clean the crime scene. When police arrived shortly afterwards, they noted the home smelled strongly of bleach and that bedsheets from the attacked bed had been removed.
The victim was taken to South Shore University Hospital for treatment. Chacon was arrested at the scene.
Justice Served After a Harrowing Ordeal
Chacon was found guilty of first-degree attempted assault, second-degree assault, tampering with physical evidence, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child. A New York judge subsequently sentenced him to 15 to 17 years behind bars.
Raymond A. Tierney, the District Attorney for Suffolk County, said the sentence recognised "the pain endured by the victim and her children." He stated, "The devastating harm inflicted by domestic violence is far reaching. The defendant stabbed his girlfriend while children were present. Those children will live with the scars of that night for the rest of their lives."
He added that while nothing could undo the harm, the authorities' thoughts remained with the family as they continue their long healing process.
