By Rebecca Henely
A Brooklyn man who stabbed a Manhattan woman three years ago as she walking near Queens Plaza with her teenage daughter and then fled on a bicycle has been found guilty of first-degree assault, the Queens district attorney’s office said.
Elie Granger Jr., now 49, of Manhattan Avenue near Clay Street, defended himself in a three-week jury trial before acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Joseph Zayas, DA Richard Brown said. Granger was convicted of assault and endangering the welfare of a child, the DA said.
His sentencing was set for Aug. 9 when he faces up to 25 years in prison.
Eduarda Olivia, 37, and her then-13-year-old daughter were walking along 22nd Street and Queens Plaza North June 22, 2008, when Granger, who was riding his bike, pedaled up onto the sidewalk and stabbed Olivia in the chest, after which he rode away, the DA said. The daughter was not harmed in the incident.
After the attack, Olivia was rushed to New York Presbyterian Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, the DA said. She arrived at the hospital in critical condition but has since recovered, the DA said.
Police found and arrested Granger two days later, then charged him with attempted murder and assault, authorities said.
“The attack was both savage and horrific,” Brown said in a statement. “The defendant deserves the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced.”
Police at the time said they had footage of the attack on a surveillance camera’s video tape. Employees of the nearby Silvercup Studios, at 42-22 22nd St. in Long Island City, said in interviews with TimesLedger Newspapers they had seen a bald man riding a bicycle around the studio, a description matching Granger.
Police at the time suspected Granger of having been involved in two stabbings that had occurred in the area in 2007, but Granger was not charged in any other attacks by the DA.
The 114th Precinct had seen a dip in assaults in 2008, with 249 felony assaults compared to the 296 felony assaults in 2007, according to police statistics. There were 283 felony assaults in 2010 and there have been 134 so far this year.
Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at rhenely@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
