Bridgeport Man Accused Of Trying To Kill Ex-Wife Brought Back To City: Police

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 33-year-old Bridgeport man accused of attempting to kill his ex-wife in December was returned to the city Wednesday after being apprehended near the Canadian border, authorities said.

Joao Victor Borges-DeQueiroz, 33, was arraigned in Bridgeport Superior Court before Judge Charles Stango on charges including attempted murder, attempted first-degree assault, first-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree stalking, third-degree assault and carrying a pistol without a permit. The judge increased his bond from $1 million to $2 million.

According to police, Borges-DeQueiroz hid in the trunk of his ex-wife’s car in the early morning hours of Dec. 23. Investigators allege he pushed down the rear seat and attempted to shoot her while she was driving to work. The shot missed and passed through the windshield, police said.

The Bridgeport Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit obtained an arrest warrant, and Borges-DeQueiroz was taken into custody the following day in Vermont by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers after authorities said he attempted to cross into Canada.

In addition to the state charges, Borges-DeQueiroz faces a federal charge of possessing a firearm as a non-citizen. He has been held at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island, since his arrest.

Before Wednesday’s arraignment, U.S. Marshals transported him to the federal courthouse in New Haven. Members of the Bridgeport Police Department’s Warrant Unit and the state’s attorney’s office then brought him to Bridgeport for processing and his court appearance. He was later returned to the Wyatt facility. It was not immediately clear when he will next be transferred to Connecticut authorities.

Because of the pending federal charge, his return to Bridgeport followed a different procedure than a standard extradition, officials said.