A former Dominican pastor was sentenced to 23 years in prison for running over his wife and stabbing her with a machete in front of their grandchildren.
Victor Mateo, 65, and his wife, Noelia Mateo, 58, had been separated for regarding a month when he killed her, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said.
“The defendant not only took the life of a Bronx grandmother, but also inflicted potential lifelong trauma on her grandchildren who witnessed this horrific crime,” Clark said.
When his estranged wife left their home in the Bronx to take their grandchildren to school on Oct. 3, 2019, the former pastor hit her with his vehicle, Clark said.
When Noelia Mateo hid under her car, Victor Mateo got into his vehicle and ran over his wife, then hit her with a machete.
Mateo pleaded guilty to first degree involuntary manslaughter on November 17, 2021, and did not want to attend the hearing where he was sentenced.
According to the PIX11 news portal, the Dominican was arrested in 2019 and prosecuted for charges including first-degree manslaughter, second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the well-being of a child.
Five years of supervision following his release were also included in the 23-year sentence. Final protective orders were also added for the victim’s two grandchildren who witnessed the murder when they were just nine and 11 years old.
“The victim’s grandchildren had to deal not only with the loss of their grandmother, but also with immense trauma following witnessing such cruel events,” Clark said.
According to authorities, on the morning of the attack, Mateo parked his vehicle near his ex-wife’s home in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx, and waited until she left the house to take their grandchildren to school.
Mateo was arrested in Pennsylvania on October 10, 2019 following a week-long search for a hit-and-run.
