A Roosevelt man pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Oct. 29, to murder charges and endangering the welfare of his two-year-old son for stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death in front of the child in her Hempstead home in October 2024, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
Jose William Funes-Zabala, 44, pleaded guilty to murder and endangering the welfare of a child and is expected to be sentenced on Dec. 18, Donnelly said. The
The DA said she recommended a sentence of 25 years to life in prison, while it is expected he will be sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
Donnelly said that on Oct. 4, 2024, an order of protection filed on behalf of 29-year-old Brenda Guadoloupe Alfaro Alcantara against Funes-Zabala had expired.
The next day, Funes-Zabala went to Alfaro Alcantara’s basement apartment on Botsford Street in Hempstead to visit their two-year-old son, where he learned his ex-girlfriend had started dating someone, the DA said.
An argument broke out and Funes-Zabala stabbed Alfaro-Alcantara approximately 35 times in her bedroom with their son present.
He then walked out of the basement apartment with what appeared to be blood on his face, fled the home, leaving the unharmed child 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 Oct. 6, 2024, at Nassau University Medical Center.
“This was a horrific act of violence that stole a woman’s life and the innocence of a young child,” Donnelly said following the guilty plea. “Two lives destroyed because of this defendant’s viciousness and his bruised ego.”
