Man Who Brutally Murdered Mother-In-Law After Birthday Celebration On LI Sentenced: DA

GLEN COVE, NY — A Glen Cove man was sentenced to 25 years-to-life in prison after murdering his mother-in-law, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.

Erick Corado Gonzalez, 29, pleaded guilty in September to stabbing 51-year-old Ana Espinoza to death outside a West Hempstead restaurant, the DA said.

Espinoza had just left her daughter’s birthday celebration at the La Candela II restaurant in West Hempstead in September 2024, the DA said.

Corado Gonzalez, 29, pleaded guilty on September 3 before Judge Caryn Fink to charges of second-degree murder, an A-I felony, and second-degree attempted murder, a B violent felony, Donnelly said.

He was sentenced to 25 years-to life-in prison; the NCDA recommended a sentence of 30 years to life in prison, Donnelly said.

Donnelly said that on September 28, 2024, Espinoza and her husband, and other family members were celebrating Espinoza’s adult daughter’s birthday at the eatery.

Corado Gonzalez, Espinoza’s daughter’s estranged husband, was not invited to the celebration, the DA said.

Just after midnight on September 29, 2024, the partygoers were leaving the restaurant and heading for their vehicles, the DA said. Corado Gonzalez then approached Espinoza in the parking lot and stabbed her at least seven times in the torso, the DA said.

When her husband tried to intervene, Corado Gonzalez stabbed him in the hand, Donnelly said.

Espinoza’s adult son also tried to help his mother, and Corado Gonzalez pointed an imitation pistol at the man and threatened him not to follow him; Corado Gonzalez then fled the scene, Donnelly said.

The attack took place in the presence of Corado Gonzalez's three-year-old son, the DA said.

Espinoza and her husband were both taken to NYU Langone Long Island Hospital (Winthrop) for treatment, the DA said.

Espinoza suffered hemorrhagic shock from being stabbed in the neck and was pronounced deceased at 3:58 a.m., Donnelly said.

Corado Gonzalez fled the state after the stabbing and was arrested on September 29, 2024, in Linden, New Jersey by local authorities, the DA said.

He was extradited to Nassau County on October 22, 2024, Donnelly said.

A knife was recovered from the restaurant’s parking lot, and an imitation pistol was recovered from Corado Gonzalez' car trunk, the DA said.

Corado Gonzalez was represented by Joseph LoPiccolo, who was not immediately available for comment.

"Ana Espinoza should be here today enjoying the life she built with her children and watching her grandchildren grow. Instead, Erick Corado Gonzalez turned her family’s night of celebration into a lifetime of grief," DA Donnelly said. "The defendant ambushed his mother-in-law in a restaurant parking lot, brutally taking her life in front of her loved ones and his three-year-old son all because of his own selfish rage. No amount of time behind bars can erase the trauma this defendant inflicted, but today’s sentence ensures he will spend decades in prison, far away from the family he shattered. Our hearts remain with Ana’s loved ones as they continue to heal from this unspeakable tragedy."