A Roosevelt man pleaded guilty to stabbing his ex-girlfriend in her Hempstead home while her two-year-old son was in the room.
On October 4, 2024, an order of protection against Jose William Funes-Zabala, issued on behalf of the victim, 29-year-old Brenda Guadoloupe Alfaro Alcantara had expired. The next day, on October 5, 2024, at approximately 5:58 p.m., Funes-Zabala went to Alfaro Alcantara’s basement apartment on Botsford Street in Hempstead to visit their two-year-old son.
An argument began between the defendant and the victim when Funes-Zabala learned that Alfaro-Alcantara had started dating. The defendant then stabbed Alfaro-Alcantara approximately 35 times in her bedroom with their son in the room.
At approximately 6:58 p.m., Funes-Zabala walked out of the basement apartment with what appeared to be blood on his face. He then fled the residence, leaving the child, who was uninjured, behind.
The victim and child were later discovered in the apartment by relatives after family members were unable to contact Alfaro-Alcantara.
Funes-Zabala was arrested on October 6, 2024, at Nassau University Medical Center by members of the Nassau County Police Department Homicide Squad.
Funes-Zabala, 44, pleaded guilty on October 29, 2025, before Judge Howard Sturim to Murder in the Second Degree (a Class A-I felony) and Endangering the Welfare of a Child (a Class A misdemeanor). The defendant is expected to be sentenced to 20 years to life in prison on December 18, 2025. NCDA recommended a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
“Blinded by rage, this defendant brutally and repeatedly stabbed his ex-girlfriend more than 30 times in her home during a visit with his son, leaving the two-year-old to watch the gruesome attack and the life drain from his mother’s eyes,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
“The child was later found, soaked in Brenda Guadoloupe Alfaro Alcantara’s blood, after Funes-Zabala fled the scene and heartlessly left his son behind with his mother’s corpse,” Donnelly said. “This was a horrific act of violence that stole a woman’s life and the innocence of a young child. Two lives were destroyed because of this defendant’s viciousness and his bruised ego. Our thoughts remain with Brenda’s family and friends as this sick individual is punished for his crimes.”