‘Horrifying’ father pleads guilty to mowing down wife with kids in car, stabbing wounded victim in the liver

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A 36-year-old New York City dad told his three kids to buckle up before he ran their mother over with a Ford Explorer, hopped out and stabbed her in the liver — just days after Christmas.

Stephen Giraldo pleaded guilty to attempted murder Tuesday after the attack left his estranged wife Sophia Giraldo, 41, with “severe neurological damage,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.

The victim survived.

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Stephen Giraldo, a 36-year-old father of three from Jamaica, Queens, pleaded guilty to attempted murder Tuesday for running over his estranged wife in this SUV with his three children inside. Once he mowed her down, he stabbed her in the liver, prosecutors say. (Queens District Attorneys Office)

Giraldo is expected to receive a sentence for 25 years in prison at his sentencing in October.

The attack took place around 5:20 a.m. on Dec. 27, according to Katz’s office.

Surveillance video recorded Giraldo pull up to the victim’s home in a white Ford Explorer. He was supposed to be dropping off their children, ages 6, 9 and 11.

When their mother walked out, according to prosecutors, Giraldo told the kids to “keep your seatbelt(s) on,” and hit the gas.

The car hopped the curb, and the impact sent it tumbling to one side — but the driver wasn’t done.

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“Giraldo crawled over his son in the front passenger seat and out of the vehicle’s window and then stabbed his wife with a knife,” according to prosecutors. 

Sophia Giraldo suffered “severe neurological damage,” broken leg bones and a stab wound through her liver, prosecutors said.

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“The horrifying brutality of the attack, and the fact that it was committed in full view of the victim’s three young children, stirred outrage and heartbreak across the city,” Katz said Tuesday. “We welcome the guilty plea and seeing a violent, dangerous man go to prison, but today’s outcome does not remedy the immense pain and lifelong suffering the defendant caused.”

Michael Ruiz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to michael.ruiz@fox.com and on Twitter: @mikerreports