East Flatbush Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Near-Fatal Assault and Kidnapping of Ex-Girlfriend

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, December 15, 2025

East Flatbush Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for
Near-Fatal Assault and Kidnapping of Ex-Girlfriend

Defendant Choked, Robbed and Repeatedly Stabbed Victim
Before Leaving Her to Die on Long Island Parkway

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that an East Flatbush man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison following his conviction for kidnapping and repeatedly stabbing his ex-girlfriend in April 2023, leaving her for dead on the side of a Long Island parkway.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, "A woman was choked, robbed, and repeatedly stabbed by someone who once claimed to care about her, then dragged into brush and abandoned to die. She survived because she refused to give up, fought through unimaginable injuries, and found a way to get help. Thanks to her resilience and courage, this defendant has been held accountable and will spend 15 years in prison. My office will continue to stand with survivors and pursue serious consequences for anyone who commits this kind of domestic violence."

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Darren Brathwaite, 39, of East Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Warin to 15 years in prison. The defendant was convicted of second-degree kidnapping, first-degree attempted assault, second-degree robbery, second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful imprisonment on September 30, 2025, following a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on April 29, 2023, at approximately 7 p.m., the victim finished her shift at her workplace in East Flatbush, where the defendant was waiting for her. He approached her and offered to drive her to her babysitter's home to pick up her child, and she got into the defendant's car.

As they drove, the defendant brought up their prior relationship and asked the victim to get back together with him. When she refused, according to trial testimony, the defendant became enraged, grabbed her, punched her, took her phone and brandished a knife. He then repeatedly stabbed and slashed the victim in the neck and thigh and choked her with both hands. As the defendant continued driving, the victim attempted to escape the car several times but was forcibly pulled back inside and repeatedly stabbed. Eventually, the victim went limp and pretended to be dead to stop the attack.

The defendant drove from Brooklyn to Long Island, stopped on the Wantagh State Parkway and dragged what he believed was the victim's lifeless body out of the vehicle. After walking away, the defendant returned and realized the victim was still alive, according to the evidence. He again stabbed her multiple times and moved her deeper into brush on the side of the parkway before fleeing.

Despite her extensive injuries, the victim managed to reach the roadway, where she flagged down a New York State Trooper. She was transported to Nassau University Medical Center and was treated for numerous stab wounds to her neck and thigh.

The defendant fled to Atlantic City, N.J. and on May 2, 2023, was located and removed from the ocean by an Atlantic City Police Department officer. Following coordination between the NYPD 67th Precinct Detective Squad, Brooklyn South Warrant Squad, and Atlantic County authorities, the defendant was taken into custody and transported to Brooklyn.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Jessica Soares and Assistant District Attorney Lawrence Newman, Special Counsel, of the District Attorney's Domestic Violence Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kori Medow, Bureau Chief.

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