A woman was stabbed repeatedly with a razor outside her apartment in the Jacob Riis Houses Monday evening, in front of at least one of her children, police said early this morning. The victim’s estranged husband was arrested Tuesday night and faces multiple charges, including attempted murder.
“The woman was attempting to enter her apartment, and was attacked from behind,” an NYPD spokesman said. She received “multiple lacerations” that required “many, many stitches and staples,” he said. She was treated and released from Bellevue Hospital, he said.
The suspect, John Woody, fled the scene but was arrested yesterday at the home of a friend outside Manhattan, according to police.
Woody, 40, lived at 275 Cherry St. on the Lower East Side, police said. Police are not releasing the exact address of the crime scene to protect the victim’s identity; the Jacob Riis Houses, run between East Sixth and East 13th streets just west of the FDR.
In addition to attempted murder, Woody was charged with felony assault, burglary, criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child, according to police. He was also charged with “criminal contempt,” meaning he violated an existing protective order in place. Court records show Woody was also arrested June 10 on criminal contempt in a separate incident.
The story was first reported in the New York Daily News, which added a few details from the scene:
“A Manhattan woman needed more than 100 stitches after her abusive husband repeatedly slashed her in front of their terrified young children, police sources said Tuesday.”
He apparently used slivers of wood to clog the key hole on the front door, a police source said.
As she struggled to get the door open, Woody pounced, a second source said.
“She was trying to get the door open with the key when her husband came up behind her with a razor,” the source said. “He cut her across the head, face, neck and back.”
