A Queens man and his mother have been indicted for allegedly targeting his ex-girlfriend in a series of attacks. Brayahan Agudelo is facing charges that include burglary, strangulation, stalking, menacing, among other accusations, and his mother, Maria Cruz, is charged with crimes such as burglary and stalking. The indictments stem from a string of incidents involving Agudelo's ex-girlfriend, which reportedly escalated to the point that he solicited an undercover police officer to paralyze her, according to the Queens District Attorney's Office.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement that Agudelo's actions constituted "multiple acts of domestic violence" against his former partner. Following his arrest on other charges, Agudelo allegedly used a jailhouse phone to direct his mother to intimidate the victim into silence. Agudelo, 31, could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted, while his mother, 52, could serve up to 20 years, as reported by the Queens District Attorney's Office. Justice Michael Yavinsky has scheduled both to return to court on July 29.
The series of events leading to the indictments began on April 10, with Agudelo allegedly choking his ex-girlfriend until she lost consciousness in her own home. Agudelo and the victim's shared 2-year-old daughter was present during the attack. The victim's subsequent calls to 911 on multiple dates in April reported sightings of Agudelo near her apartment, from which he fled each time before police could apprehend him.
Further alarming details emerged from the investigation, as on April 24, Agudelo is said to have entered the ex-girlfriend's residence through a window, brandishing a knife and pulling her by the hair to prevent her from escaping. The following day, he talked to an undercover officer, involved in Operation Hellcat, an auto theft investigation, about causing severe injury to his ex. According to the undercover's report, Agudelo wanted her "hit in the back and physically disabled." He was arrested the day after this conversation took place, as per the Queens District Attorney's Office.
Cruz's indictment alleges that she acted on her son's instructions to visit the victim's home and the school of their grandchildren, violating a protective order in the process. Security footage reportedly captured Cruz at the victim's apartment building, substantiating these allegations. The District Attorney's Office, with its partners, arranged safe housing for the victim and her family following these incidents. Assistant District Attorney Paige Nyer of the DA’s Domestic Violence Bureau is prosecuting the case, under various levels of supervision from within the office. Apart from the violence-related charges, Agudelo was also indicted as part of Operation Hellcat for offenses related to auto theft, for which he might receive an additional 15 years if convicted.
