An East Elmhurst woman was sentenced after she was convicted of attacking her boyfriend with a samurai sword, Queens prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Karla Barba, 40, was found guilty of second-degree assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child in January 2019 . She was sentenced to serve three years in prison, followed by two years’ post release supervision.
“A jury weighed the evidence in this case and rendered a verdict of guilty. This was a brutal attack,” said Chief Assistant District Attorney John M. Ryan. “The scene had blood puddles on the floor and crimson red streaks on the walls. This could have ended more tragically but the victim survived and the defendant has been ordered to prison for a significant period of time. The Court’s sentence is more than appropriate.”
According to trial testimony, Barba got into an argument with her live-in boyfriend Franklin Larrea on June 8, 2016, while they were in the bedroom of Larrea’s 12-year-old son. After Larrea pulled Barba from his son’s room, Barba grabbed a nearby samurai sword, still in its sheath, and hit Larrea in the head.
The sheath fell off of the blade and Barba proceeded to strike Larrea in the left forearm and wrist, causing deep cuts. Larrea, who had lost a significant amount of blood, was rushed to a local hospital where he received a life-saving blood transfusion.
According to a report from the New York Post, Barba’s ex-fiancé was disgraced Queens pol Hiram Monserrate. Monserrate was convicted of a misdemeanor assault in 2009 after a video of him attacking Barba resurfaced, ultimately costing him his Senate seat. Barba’s lawyer, Stacey Richman, requested a special prosecutor when she found out that Barba had previously sued Queens prosecutors back in 2010 for harassment.
