A Queens man accused of stabbing his pregnant girlfriend to death had an additional criminal charge dropped because of a new law that was recently signed by the governor of New York.
Anthony Hobson, 48, was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly slaying his partner, 35-year-old real estate agent Jennifer Irigoyen.
Hobson was initially charged with second-degree abortion since Irigoyen was pregnant, but the Queens District Attorney’s office told the New York Post that it had to drop the charge because of the new law.
Part of the law, known as the Reproductive Health Act, removes abortion from the state’s criminal code and modifies the definition of homicide to no longer include the unborn.
Cuomo and other Democrats celebrated the law after signing it in late January. Among other things, the law allows a mother to have an abortion if a doctor believes there is an absence of fetal vitality, the pregnancy is under 24 weeks or endangers the woman’s health, reported The Epoch Times.
Cuomo’s office declined a request for comment on the case by the Post.
Pregnant woman stabbed to death in Queens building vestibule https://t.co/IF2YcpTUL0 #ABC7NY
— Candace McCowan (@CandaceMcCowan7) February 4, 2019
Stabbing
Irigoyen reportedly was dragged screaming from her third-floor Ridgewood apartment in the borough of Queens and allegedly stabbed repeatedly at the entranceway of the apartment building around 1 a.m. on Feb. 3.
Maurice Roman Zereoue, one of the witnesses, told the Post that Irigoyen, who was five months pregnant, shouted: “He’s got a knife! He’s going to kill the baby!” as a man pulled her from her apartment on the third floor and dragged her down the stairs. Pictures of the crime scene showed copious amounts of blood on the entranceway steps.
Zereoue said he saw the murderer’s head but that it was obscured by a hood. The man had what appeared to be a butter knife in his hands.
“I seen him dragging her down the stairs,” said Zereoue, who peered into the hallway after hearing the screams. “I seen her hands hanging on to a hallway wall for dear life,” he added.
Building superintendent Lisa Raymos said that surveillance video showed that the first stab wound was to her abdomen.
Zereoue’s girlfriend called 911 while he, at some point, ran downstairs but by then, Irigoyen had been stabbed, was bleeding profusely, and the attacker was gone.
Rushed to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, both she and the baby succumbed to the injuries.
Irigoyen was a luxury home realtor, classical pianist, professional Latin ballroom dancer, and Zumba instructor.
Queens man turns himself in for fatally stabbing pregnant ex-girlfriend https://t.co/OBkNgAx4Lk pic.twitter.com/SxYJCFTGRU
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 9, 2019
Arrest
Hobson, who was arrested Feb. 8, was charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence, abortion, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Investigators said surveillance video clearly shows Hobson dragging his girlfriend to the stairwell before stabbing her multiple times.
“This was a heinous crime,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement obtained by WABC. “A woman was brutally stabbed, killing her and her unborn child. The defendant is alleged to have shown no mercy and no regard for human life when he repeatedly and purposely plunged a knife into this expectant mother’s abdomen, torso and neck.”
Boyfriend arrested after pregnant woman fatally stabbed in NYC https://t.co/qPBREXUdft pic.twitter.com/HGAPeDxC5v
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) February 9, 2019
Bryan Kotowski, assistant district attorney, said that Hobson did turn himself in, but initially had tried to flee the area.
“The defendant beat and dragged the victim, Jennifer Irigoyen, down the stairs and then brutally stabbed her in the neck, abdomen, and torso,” he said, reported the NY Daily News.
“The defendant knew that the victim was 14 weeks pregnant at the time. The day of the investigation, the defendant not only fled Queens County but fled the state. He only turned himself in when his family informed him the police were looking for him. ”
Hobson’s attorney argued that his client should be released on bail until the trial, but Judge Karina Alomar labeled him a flight risk and denied the request.
From NTD News
Epoch Times staff member Petr Svab contributed to this report.
