Central Islip Man Stabbed, Choked Wife Unconscious, Then Fled For Months: DA

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — A Central Islip man has admitted to attempting to kill his wife in a violent attack inside their home, then evading authorities for months before being arrested following a drunken crash involving the same victim, prosecutors said.

Rodolfo Alvarez, 35, pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted murder and multiple additional charges tied to the May 2024 assault and his eventual arrest months later, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.

Prosecutors said the attack happened on May 10, 2024, while the victim was asleep inside her Central Islip home.

Alvarez admitted that he stabbed his wife in the back with a kitchen knife before strangling her until she lost consciousness, according to court documents and statements made during his plea.

Authorities said he then dragged her to the floor and continued strangling her until a relative entered the room after learning police were on the way. Alvarez fled the home before officers arrived.

The victim survived and was transported to South Shore University Hospital for treatment.

Police were unable to locate Alvarez for more than four months.

Authorities said he was finally found on September 26, 2024, after he rear-ended and sideswiped his wife’s vehicle while she was driving to work. The crash caused his own car to roll over.

After the crash, Alvarez fled on foot but was quickly apprehended nearby, police said. Officers observed signs of intoxication, and a blood test taken about an hour later showed his blood alcohol content was .22 — nearly three times the legal limit.

On Tuesday, April 28, Alvarez pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz to a series of charges, including attempted Murder, a Class B violent felony; first-degree attempted assault, a Class C violent felony; two counts of second-degree assault, Class D violent felonies; second-degree strangulation, a Class D violent felony, aggravated driving while intoxicated, a Class D felony, two counts of driving while intoxicated, Class D felonies, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, Class A misdemeanors, secomd-degree reckless endangerment, a Class A misdemeanor, fourth-degree criminal mischief, a Class A misdemeanor and leaving the scene of an incident resulting in injury, a Class A misdemeanor.

Alvarez is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26 and faces up to 25 years in prison, prosecutors said.

He is represented by Gerard Donnelly, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The defendant strangled and stabbed his wife at a time when she was most vulnerable, and then hid for months to avoid accountability,” Tierney said. “Our office treats domestic violence as the serious violent crime that it is, and we always pursue these cases aggressively from start to finish.”