Karina Kovac

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Sep 3, 2026, 4:02 PM

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Updated

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A Glen Cove man pleaded guilty Thursday to fatally stabbing his estranged mother-in-law after she left her daughter’s birthday celebration in West Hempstead.

Prosecutors say Erick Corado Gonzalez ambushed 51-year-old Ana Espinoza in the parking lot of La Candela II restaurant, put her in a headlock and "savagely stabbed" her seven times in the neck and body in front of his 2-year-old son.

Officials say Espinoza’s husband tried to intervene but was cut on the hand. Prosecutors said Espinoza’s son also attempted to help her, but Gonzalez pointed an imitation pistol at him and threatened him.

The family had been celebrating Espinoza’s daughter’s birthday at the restaurant before the attack. Prosecutors say Gonzalez, who was estranged from Espinoza’s daughter, was not invited.

Espinoza was taken to the hospital, where prosecutors say she died after suffering hemorrhagic shock from being stabbed in the neck.

Authorities said Gonzalez fled the state after the killing and was arrested the following day on Sept. 29, 2024, in Linden, New Jersey.

The 29-year-old, charged with murder and attempted murder, is expected to be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.