By Rebecca Henely
A 17-year-old girl went into cardiac arrest and has been left paralyzed after the father of her infant child allegedly attacked her with a knife Monday inside a Corona supermarket, the Queens district attorney’s office said.
The suspect, 20-year-old Daniel Paguay of Corona, is accused of staging the attack, which also caused injuries to his cousin Gabriel Calle, on the same day he was expected to appear in Queens Criminal Court on charges of raping the girl two months ago, the DA said.
“This is a terribly sad and tragic case — not only in terms of the violent assault on his baby’s mother and his own cousin, but also because of the degradation and humiliation that she had allegedly previously suffered at the hands of the defendant,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.
Paguay was charged with attempted murder, assault, criminal contempt, resisting arrest and criminal possession of a weapon, the DA said.
Paguay, who lives on 39th Avenue near 104th Street, had allegedly raped the girl, who had an infant son by him before, two months ago, the DA said. He was released from prison on $25,000 bail and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear in court, the DA said.
Nine days before, on June 11, Paguay allegedly entered his ex-girlfriend’s residence and rummaged through her paperwork, the DA said. The girl’s roommate, who had been sleeping, woke up and confronted Paguay, at which point he said he was looking for his stuff and then fled, the DA said.
Paguay’s cousin, Calle, was witness to Monday’s attack, the DA said. Between 8:55 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., Paguay allegedly chased the 17-year-old girl down 38th Avenue, grabbing her in a choke hold and holding a knife to her side when he caught up to her, the DA said. Calle tried to help her, at which point he struggled with his cousin and was cut multiple times in his body and along one of his arms, the DA said.
Afterward, Paguay allegedly dragged the girl into the Fine Fare Supermarket at 109th Street and 37th Avenue, the DA said.
Police who arrived at the scene saw Paguay stab her in the back, the DA said. When authorities tried to bring him in, Paguay resisted, police said.
Both the girl and Calle were taken to Elmhurst Hospital, at 79-01 Broadway, for treatment, the DA said. The girl had multiple puncture wounds in her back, which left her paralyzed from the waist down and was in cardiac arrest, the DA said. Calle was treated with sutures.
Prosecutors also charged Paguay with burglary, criminal trespass and criminal content because of the alleged break-in, the DA said. He is being held without bail and if convicted could receive 25 years for the attempted murder charge and 15 years for the burglary charge, the DA said.
Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at rhenely@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
