DA: Woman found guilty of stabbing ex-boyfriend in Hempstead cafe

A Mineola jury on Wednesday found a Hempstead woman guilty of stabbing her ex-boyfriend in the stomach in 2015, leaving him with severe internal injuries, prosecutors said.

Elsa Marina Saravia-Martinez, 36, was convicted of first-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, prosecutors said.

Saravia-Martinez faces up to 5 to 25 years in prison at her scheduled sentencing May 2 before Court of Claims Judge Robert Schwartz, according to the Nassau County district attorney’s office.

The defendant was working as a cook at La Miranda River Cafe in Hempstead and her ex-boyfriend was a patron there when she attacked him, stabbing him in the stomach with a 12-inch kitchen knife.

The victim was taken to the hospital by the bar’s owner. He required immediate surgery. He has since recovered but has lingering scars, prosecutors said.

Saravia-Martinez finished working her shift that morning and was arrested later that day at her Hempstead apartment, prosecutors said.

“This defendant brutally stabbed her ex-boyfriend in the stomach causing life-threatening injuries,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement, adding that Saravia-Martinez “will be held accountable for this senseless violence.”