Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that married couple Arturo Cuevas and Daisy Barrera pleaded guilty on Tuesday, January 7, to attempted murder in the second degree for stabbing and assaulting their neighbor, a 28-year-old man, during a confrontation in Sunnyside over a parking space in March 2023. The couple had a history of disputes with the victim regarding parking in the neighborhood.
District Attorney Katz stated: “A 28-year-old man was senselessly stabbed with a knife and beaten with a metal baseball bat by the defendants over a parking dispute. Video footage of the attack, captured by a neighbor, shocked the city. On the eve of trial, defendants Arturo Cuevas and Daisy Barrera pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Wilson Chabla Lliguicota. Our thoughts are with Mr. Lliguicota and his family as he continues to recover from his injuries.”
The brutal couple was seen repeatedly striking him with a bat. The victim was also stabbed five times “throughout the body” during the attack that occurred in broad daylight.
Mr. Lliguicota was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he suffered severe brain trauma that necessitated surgery.
After his arrest, Cuevas confessed to police, stating, “It was me,” according to the criminal complaint against him.
“I told you it was me already. I already told you that I’m the one that did it,” he allegedly told officers.
He also admitted to having “punched, kicked, stabbed, slashed with a knife, and hit with a baseball bat” the victim before bringing the weapons back home, as detailed in the complaint.
“I took the bat and knife and brought them to my apartment and they are in my room,” he said, even specifying the brand of the bat.
Cuevas, 32, and Barrera, 28, of 48th Street in Sunnyside, pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the second degree before Supreme Court Justice Mary L. Bejarano on Tuesday and face a sentence of 14 years in prison. They are scheduled to return to court for sentencing on January 22.
DA Katz noted that according to the indictment and investigation, on March 17, 2023, at approximately 3:40 p.m., defendants Cuevas and Barrera were present when victim Wilson Chabla Lliguicota arrived at his residence and parked his car. Cuevas and Barrera, who are married, lived around the block from the victim and had a dispute with him over a parking space 11 months prior.
The victim’s girlfriend, 22-year-old Delia Chimbay, witnessed her partner in distress from their apartment window and came outside to help. Barrera struck the woman in the arm with the bat and continued her assault on Lliguicota alongside Cuevas.
The altercation concluded when police arrived at the scene, prompting Cuevas and Barrera to retreat into their apartment. They were arrested following a 20-minute standoff.
Both victims required medical treatment for their injuries. Lliguicota underwent surgery for severe brain trauma, which included the removal of part of his skull and the induction of a medical coma to manage his extended care and rehabilitation needs.
Reportedly, Cuevas had previously faced charges of assault and harassment for allegedly pulling a 27-year-old man from his car and repeatedly punching him in the face with brass knuckles on April 4, 2022.
Then, on April 11, he allegedly struck a 41-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman in the face for unknown reasons, according to police reports. Again, he was charged with assault and harassment.
