A Bronx man, accused of murdering his girlfriend and concocting a tale of a moped attack to throw off police, has been formally indicted on charges of second-degree Murder and first-degree Manslaughter. Franklin Batallas, 44, faces the allegations after his story of knife-wielding assailants fell apart in the face of video surveillance evidence, according to the Bronx District Attorney's Office.
"The defendant allegedly stabbed his girlfriend and tried to cover it up with a phony story about robbers attacking them," Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark articulated in an announcement, refuting the claimed narrative by highlighting the inconsistencies brought forth by the investigation. The Bronx District Attorney’s Office press release denoted that video surveillance footage and other evidence pointed starkly away from Batallas's version of events.
On the evening of September 17, Batallas is said to have picked up Anthonella Contreras, 30, from her workplace at a Manhattan hospital and subsequently attacked her in Pelham Bay Park before driving to Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Contreras, who worked tirelessly as a nurse, sustained multiple wounds to her face and neck. Batallas, who had a cut on his arm, was treated and subsequently released from the hospital.
As part of his alleged cover-up, Batallas claimed they had been accosted by robbers on City Island Road, a tale quickly unraveled by the lack of such activity on security footage from the area, and, surveillance video from the bridge contradicted his narrative. Investigators also found a bracelet owned by the defendant in the water beneath the City Island Bridge where, the victim's car was seen pulling over and where they discovered blood stains.
The case is prosecuted by experienced members of the Domestic Violence Bureau, with the Special Victims Division playing an oversight role. The efforts of NYPD Detectives Sean Liscoe, Paula Aguero, Patrick Flatley, as well as Officers Joseph Barone and Alex Llaurado, of the Harbor Unit and Scuba Team, were highlighted for their investigative work alongside the New Rochelle Police Department.
