N.Y. man pleads guilty to killing co-worker and stabbing victim’s wife when she intervened

HUNTINGTON, N.Y. (TCD) -- A 54-year-old man is expected to receive 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing his friend in 2023 and stabbing the victim’s wife when she tried to stop the attack.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced that Candelario Cordova pleaded guilty on May 14 to the first-degree manslaughter of his friend and co-worker, 58-year-old Roque Cisneros, as well as the attempted second-degree murder of Cisneros’ wife. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20. Cordova was indicted on charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in March 2023.

According to prosecutors, on Feb. 16, Cisneros and Cordova were together in Cisneros’ SUV, which was parked outside Cisneros’ home. Cisneros’ wife reportedly looked out her kitchen window and noticed that Cordova was trying to get her husband out of the car. Cordova "suddenly drove away with Cisneros still in the SUV," so the victim’s wife got into her own car and pursued them.

Cordova reportedly stopped his vehicle and got a knife from the trunk before stabbing Cisneros "repeatedly in the neck and body." According to the district attorney’s office, the victim’s wife grabbed Cordova, but then he attacked her. Nearby motorists reportedly stepped in and subdued Cordova until officers with the Suffolk County Police Department arrived. Police recovered the knife the defendant used in the fatal attack.

Officials pronounced Cisneros deceased at the scene from multiple stab wounds, and his wife underwent treatment at Huntington Hospital.

Tierney said, "Unfortunately, in addition to witnessing the trauma of her husband being stabbed to death by the defendant, the victim’s wife also endured her own horrific injuries during the defendant’s attack."

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