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Murder on the front lawn In Bayshore, NY
BY ALFONSO A. CASTILLO
STAFF WRITER
April 12, 2004
The estranged husband of a North Bay Shore woman broke into his family's home Sunday and stabbed his wife and mother-in-law to death as the couple's two young boys heard their mother and grandmother struggle for their lives, police said.
When the screaming and the struggling stopped, Karina Reyna and her mother, Azucena Villegas, lay dying on the front lawn of multiple knife wounds while Reyna's estranged husband, Christopher Reynart, 34, waited for authorities to arrive, police said.
"I heard screaming next door to me and looked out and saw three figures wrestling on the lawn," said neighbor Kathleen Ryan. "I never thought on Easter morning I'd be waking up to something like that."
About 5 a.m. Sunday, Reynart kicked down the door of the house on Rhode Island Avenue, where his wife lived with their two boys, ages 8 and 10. Reynart had been out of the home for about four months, since Karina Reyna, 34, got a restraining order against him for assaulting her with the electrical cord of a computer, police said.
Once inside the home, Reynart, who had been living in Brooklyn with his brother, was confronted by Reyna and Villegas, 63, of Brentwood, who told him to leave.
"It escalated into him grabbing a knife from the kitchen and stabbing her and her mother a number of times," said Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick of Suffolk Homicide. Police said the couple's two boys were in the house at the time and heard the assault, but were unharmed.
Reynart chased the women around the house, down the stairs, and into the front yard, where he continued his assault. Fitzpatrick said there was a "substantial amount of blood" throughout the house, the front step and on a car parked in the driveway.
An unidentified adult staying with Reyna in the home called police, who arrived shortly to find Reynart waiting for them.
Villegas was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Reyna was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, where she remained in critical condition until being pronounced dead Sunday afternoon.
Reynart is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and will be arraigned today at First District Court in Central Islip. Several of Reynart's relatives declined to comment.
Fitzpatrick said police did not know if any specific event sparked Reynart's alleged rampage, but said he had no other history of domestic violence beside the assault earlier this year.
The incident is the second in less than a month in Suffolk where a suspect violated an order of protection and allegedly killed his victim. Last month, Jean Ferdinando, 20, of Coram, was allegedly stabbed to death by her mother's ex-boyfriend, Gary Smith, 45.
Ferdinando had an order of protection against Smith and was calling police when she was killed.
Sunday, neighbors of both Reyna and her mother said they were shocked by the holiday slayings.
Gil Bonafe, who lived next door to Villegas in Brentwood for three years, described her as a "vibrant" and "beautiful" person, whom he often saw working around her house and going to church on Sundays. Villegas' husband, Angel, came to his door Sunday morning to give Bonafe the news.
"It broke my heart," Bonafe said. "That person is never going to be able to walk down the beach and hold her husband's hand, whisper things to him and have him whisper things to her. ... It's a shame."
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.
Poor kids, they lost mother and grandmother. Now the kids lost their father too since he got arrested for murder. Restraining order isn't enough for the mother to protect. Poor kids!!!
BY ALFONSO A. CASTILLO
STAFF WRITER
April 12, 2004
The estranged husband of a North Bay Shore woman broke into his family's home Sunday and stabbed his wife and mother-in-law to death as the couple's two young boys heard their mother and grandmother struggle for their lives, police said.
When the screaming and the struggling stopped, Karina Reyna and her mother, Azucena Villegas, lay dying on the front lawn of multiple knife wounds while Reyna's estranged husband, Christopher Reynart, 34, waited for authorities to arrive, police said.
"I heard screaming next door to me and looked out and saw three figures wrestling on the lawn," said neighbor Kathleen Ryan. "I never thought on Easter morning I'd be waking up to something like that."
About 5 a.m. Sunday, Reynart kicked down the door of the house on Rhode Island Avenue, where his wife lived with their two boys, ages 8 and 10. Reynart had been out of the home for about four months, since Karina Reyna, 34, got a restraining order against him for assaulting her with the electrical cord of a computer, police said.
Once inside the home, Reynart, who had been living in Brooklyn with his brother, was confronted by Reyna and Villegas, 63, of Brentwood, who told him to leave.
"It escalated into him grabbing a knife from the kitchen and stabbing her and her mother a number of times," said Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick of Suffolk Homicide. Police said the couple's two boys were in the house at the time and heard the assault, but were unharmed.
Reynart chased the women around the house, down the stairs, and into the front yard, where he continued his assault. Fitzpatrick said there was a "substantial amount of blood" throughout the house, the front step and on a car parked in the driveway.
An unidentified adult staying with Reyna in the home called police, who arrived shortly to find Reynart waiting for them.
Villegas was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Reyna was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, where she remained in critical condition until being pronounced dead Sunday afternoon.
Reynart is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and will be arraigned today at First District Court in Central Islip. Several of Reynart's relatives declined to comment.
Fitzpatrick said police did not know if any specific event sparked Reynart's alleged rampage, but said he had no other history of domestic violence beside the assault earlier this year.
The incident is the second in less than a month in Suffolk where a suspect violated an order of protection and allegedly killed his victim. Last month, Jean Ferdinando, 20, of Coram, was allegedly stabbed to death by her mother's ex-boyfriend, Gary Smith, 45.
Ferdinando had an order of protection against Smith and was calling police when she was killed.
Sunday, neighbors of both Reyna and her mother said they were shocked by the holiday slayings.
Gil Bonafe, who lived next door to Villegas in Brentwood for three years, described her as a "vibrant" and "beautiful" person, whom he often saw working around her house and going to church on Sundays. Villegas' husband, Angel, came to his door Sunday morning to give Bonafe the news.
"It broke my heart," Bonafe said. "That person is never going to be able to walk down the beach and hold her husband's hand, whisper things to him and have him whisper things to her. ... It's a shame."
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.
Poor kids, they lost mother and grandmother. Now the kids lost their father too since he got arrested for murder. Restraining order isn't enough for the mother to protect. Poor kids!!!
