A father has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder after the bodies of his wife and 14-year-old-son were discovered on Saturday, November 21 inside their Corona apartment.
The man identified as Otto Herrarte, 48, has told police that his alter ego drove him to slash the throats of his wife and son, and stuff their bodies in a closet. The couple’s other teenage son, David, 15, was not on site at the time of the incident.
“The defendant is accused of a particularly horrific and brutal crime – the murder of his own wife and child,” said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. “It is difficult to imagine the anguish being suffered by the surviving son in knowing that his mother and brother died such violent deaths and his father is charged with killing them. This case will be vigorously prosecuted.”
According to the criminal charges, which included one count of tampering with evidence and one count of criminal possession of a weapon, Herrarte slit the necks and throats of his wife Edna, 55, and their son Daniel, 14, with a knife sometime between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, November 20 in their home on 39-02 111th Street.
At the time of his arrest, Herrarte allegedly told police that he had a person named “Roberto” inside of him and that Roberto was responsible for everything that was bad, and that Roberto had killed Edna and Daniel while they slept in bed.
In a Jekyll and Hyde turn of events, Herrarte then allegedly told police that he “Otto” had gone to the store to purchase black plastic bags and duct tape, which he later used to wrap the bodies of his wife and son before he put them in a closet.
An autopsy conducted by the medical examiner determined that the two victims died as a result of deep cuts to the throat and neck, in which the carotid artery and trachea of each individual had been severed.
Relatives of the victims, in news reports, have said they do not buy Herrarte’s mental illness excuse.
“It’s just his way of trying to get out of it and manipulate the situation,” said a niece of Edna, who asked not to be named. Herrarte was allegedly having an extra-marital affair.
Miriam Ortiz, 48, a close friend of Edna’s told news reporters that the victim worked as a psychologist in her native Guatemala and would have recognized signs of mental illness in her husband.
“She never led me to believe that her husband was crazy,” said Ortiz.
In the meanwhile, the local elected officials have stepped in to provide aid to the surviving family members.
State Senator Hiram Monserrate and City Councilmember Julissa Ferreras have established a fund that will help defray the cost of expenses related to the funerals and travel of family members from abroad. The fund will provide assistance for the educational expenses of the surviving son.
“We are very grateful to the Senator and Councilmember for their support and guidance during this painful time,” said Sandra Villela, a surviving relative of the family. “They all have been kind and helpful and we thank everyone for their care,”
At his arraignment, Queens Criminal Court Judge Stephanie Zarro ordered that Herrarte have a psychiatric evaluation before being brought back to court on December 22, 2009. If convicted he faces up to 50 years to life in prison.
