A Brooklyn man on Monday was 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.
The defendant, identified as Darren Brathwaite, 39, of East Flatbush by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, was convicted of second-degree kidnapping, first-degree attempted assault, second-degree robbery, second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful imprisonment on Sept. 30, 2025, following a jury trial.
On April 29, 2023, at approximately 7:00pm, the victim finished her shift at her workplace in East Flatbush, where Brathwaite 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, prosecutors said.
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, Brathwaite 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, Gonzalez said.
As Brathwaite 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 to Long Island from Brooklyn, stopped on the Wantagh State Parkway and dragged what he believed was the victim’s lifeless body out of the vehicle. After walking away, Brathwaite 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, according to Gonzalez.
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.
Brathwaite 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, prosecutors 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," Gonzalez said in a statement. "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.”
