An off-duty NYPD cop and her husband were arrested Sunday morning and booked at the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park for breaking into the Howard Beach home of a female relative hours earlier, where they beat and strangled her, police said.
Police officer Maria Villalta and her husband Robert Villalta, both 39, were arraigned Monday in Queens Criminal Court on a criminal complaint charging them both with assault, burglary, and other related crimes. The pair targeted and attacked Robert Villalta’s sister.
According to the criminal complaint, sometime between 2:15 a.m. and 3 a.m. the couple broke down the front door of Robert Villalta’s sister’s home on 149th Avenue and entered. The victim told police that her brother Robert pushed her down on the bed and placed both of his hands around her throat, and began to choke her before striking her in the face, causing her nose to bleed.
The assault continued when Maria Villalta struck the victim in the face and then placed her hands around the woman’s throat and applied pressure causing her bleeding, difficulty breathing. The attack left the victim with a sore throat, marks on her neck, face and arms, as well as substantial pain.
When the victim’s boyfriend entered the room, Robert Villalta allegedly punched him in the face and then proceeded to strangle him. The boyfriend told investigators that he had trouble breathing and swallowing and suffered substantial pain.
Following their arraignment, the Villaltas were released without bail and ordered to return to court on Aug. 19. According to the NYPD, Officer Villalta, who joined the force in 2019 and was assigned to the 61st Precinct in Coney Island, had no disciplinary history. She was suspended without pay soon after she was taken into custody on Sunday morning, police said.
