A Roosevelt man was sentenced to up to life in prison on Wednesday, Feb. 11, for murdering his ex-girlfriend in front of their two-year-old son at her home in Hempstead in October 2024, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced.
Jose William Funes-Zabala pleaded guilty on Oct. 29, 2025, to murder and endangering the welfare of a child. He was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
On Oct. 4, 2024, an order of protection against Funes-Zabala, issued on behalf of the victim, 29-year-old Brenda Guadoloupe Alfaro Alcantara, had expired, and the following day, Funes-Zabala went to Alfaro Alcantara’s basement apartment on Botsford Street in Hempstead to visit their two-year-old son, Donnelly said.
An argument began between the two when Funes-Zabala learned that Alfaro-Alcantara had started dating, and Funes-Zabala then stabbed Alfaro Alcantara approximately 35 times in her bedroom with their son present, the DA said.
Funes-Zabala later walked out of the basement apartment with what appeared to be blood on his face and fled the home, leaving the child, who was uninjured, behind, Donnelly said.
Alfaro Alcantara and the child were later found in the apartment by relatives after family members were unable to contact her, the DA said.
Funes-Zabala was arrested on Oct. 6, 2024.
“Brenda was a kind and loving mother who dedicated herself to her family, working extra shifts to make sure they had everything they needed,” Donnelly said after the sentencing.
