A Far Rockaway woman was indicted by a Queens grand jury on charges of murder and other crimes for allegedly stabbing a neighbor to death in the Sand Castle apartment complex on Seagirt Avenue near Beach Sixth Street last month.
Evelyn Cruz, 48, was arraigned before Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder on a two-count indictment charging her with one count of murder in the second degree and one count of criminal possession of a weapon, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday.
According to the charges, shortly after 11:35 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 22, Cruz and the victim, Jessica Britt, 33, were engaged in an argument that spilled over from earlier in the day. During the argument, Cruz allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Britt one time in the chest, fatally wounding her.
Police from the 101st Precinct in Far Rockaway responded to a 911 call of an assault in progress and found Britt with a stab wound to the chest. EMS responded to the scene and transported the victim to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Cruz was apprehended shortly after the incident.
“Violence is never the way to resolve a dispute,” Katz said “The defendant is accused of brutally stabbing her neighbor to death. This senseless act has left a family in mourning and the entire community sharing their grief. The defendant is in custody and now faces very serious charges for her alleged actions,”
Justice Holder set Cruz’s return date for Feb. 17. If convicted, Cruz faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
