A Brooklyn judge sentenced Michael Israel to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally stabbing James Santiago inside a Coney Island home in January 2020, then dragging the man’s naked body from the house and into the street. A jury had already convicted Israel of first-degree murder, burglary, assault and endangering the welfare of a child before the sentence came down.
The case and its timeline
According to New York Daily News, Israel stabbed Santiago seven times before dragging his body from the home down a pathway and onto the street. Santiago, 42, was fatally stabbed early on Jan. 12, 2020, inside a home on W. 15th St. near Neptune Ave. in Coney Island, an earlier report from that outlet stated, noting he was rushed to Coney Island Hospital, but the wounds were fatal. That earlier account also described Israel as stabbing Santiago repeatedly in the chest while Santiago was at the home of Israel’s former girlfriend, Jennifer Ortiz.
As noted by New York Daily News, prosecutors said Israel broke into Ortiz’s Coney Island home that night and beat her, leaving her bruised with two black eyes, before turning on Santiago. Ortiz is Santiago’s ex-partner and the mother of Israel’s child, and she testified about years of abuse by Israel during the trial. The report also said Israel had threatened his former girlfriend with violence beforehand, including sending her a message reading “die with ya lie,” and had told her he would come to her home and “f— her up.”
Support for domestic-violence survivors
According to the NYC Human Resources Administration, domestic-violence survivors may receive temporary housing, emergency shelter and supportive services for themselves and their children.
Prosecutors’ account of the case
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the attack was chilling and calculated and targeted an innocent man and woman. Assistant District Attorney Chelsea Toder wrote that the stabbing struck Santiago’s vital organs and left no chance of survival, and described the case as motivated by domestic violence and Israel’s belief that he could control Ortiz and her dating partners through violence, per a letter cited in the same account. Israel reportedly whispered to Santiago as he died, took Santiago’s t-shirt, and fled the scene, leaving Santiago bloody and crawling in the street.
At sentencing, Israel admitted killing Santiago while claiming extreme emotional distress. Prosecutors said he showed no remorse for the killing or the assault on Ortiz. Judge Kitsis imposed the life sentence Tuesday.
Israel’s prior criminal cases
The Daily News described Israel, then 33, as a Bloods gang member with a lengthy criminal record. Public records cited by the outlet showed he had served state prison sentences for a 2005 robbery and 2014 drug possession.
Israel also faced an attempted-murder case stemming from a shooting. The 2020 Daily News report said he was charged on Feb. 26, 2019, with allegedly shooting a 32-year-old man in the stomach on Jan. 24. The outlet’s more recent account places the shooting in the Bronx in January 2019; the accounts differ on the year and location, and the discrepancy remains unresolved. The earlier report said Israel was indicted on March 15, 2019, and released on bond on April 5 after Ortiz secured his $100,000 bond.
