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Woman Who Was Fatally Stabbed By Ex-Boyfriend Had Restraining Order
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 29, 2013
Modified Aug 29, 2013
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 29, 2013
Modified Aug 29, 2013
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The family of the woman run off a Bronx highway and then fatally stabbed by her ex-boyfriend said that the ex had been violent before. Katherine German's mother said, "He said he was going to kill her. He threatened to kill her twice."
Dionis Espinal, 31, was charged with murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal contempt for the Wednesday morning rampage that spanned from the Paradise Motor Inn to the New England Thruway near Pelham Parkway. Espinal had apparently been spying on German, 20, the mother of his child (the Post says she had their baby two months ago), who emerged from the motel with her new boyfriend. Espinal got into his green outer-borough taxi and chased the couple to the highway.
Police Commissioner Kelly said, "He's driving up to 90 mph. He strikes the car that she is in, in the rear. The car tumbles over and he—that is the pursuing driver—gets out of the car." Police say that Espinal stabbed German through the window and hit her boyfriend, Jose Jimenez, with brass knuckles.
German died at the scene. Espinal's sister said to WABC 7, "If they had a baby together, why she be with another man if they're still together." However, the Daily News reports, "German got an order of protection against her boyfriend in May, charging the volatile Espinal with assault, menacing and harassment. Espinal, a cab driver, knocked her to the floor with a punch to the face, then jumped on top of German and landed several more close-fisted blows, court records show. German was hospitalized with lacerations to her forehead, eye, nose and lip." This attack would have been while German was pregnant.
German's mother said Espinal was always suspicious of German, "Very jealous. All the time, he was following her, where she going, where she's talking. It was everything in her phone, everything that she's got to do, he was knowing it." The victim's cousin said, "She was a happy person in love with her baby, she just had a newborn. We would never suspect this to happen."
Tagged
bronx
dionis espinal
domestic violence
jealous
katherine german
killing
murder
stabbing
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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