A man stabbed to death on an East Village street died protecting his wife from the crazed attacker, who wounded the woman along with a third man in a bloody street brawl, officials said Tuesday.
Suspect Alejandro Piedra, 30, was charged with murder and attempted murder following the Sunday stabbing in which he allegedly killed 38-year-old Clemson Cockfield and injured his wife Jennifer Cockfield, 52, along with Jonathan Lopez, 32, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing Tuesday.
All three victims sell second-hand items on the sidewalk near where the stabbing took place on E. 13th St. between First Ave. and Avenue A, according to Kenny.
Lopez left his wife and items to go to the bathroom and when he returned, Piedra was trying to pocket some of the goods, the chief said.
When confronted, Piedra pulled a knife and stabbed Lopez in the head and chest. Other vendors, including Cockfield and his wife, spotted the stabbing and came to Lopez’s aid.
As the brawl intensified, a vendor came up behind Piedra and broke a lamp over his head before running off.
Cockfield picked up the remnants of the lamp and started to swing at Piedra, screaming, “You stabbed my friend! You stabbed my friend!” according to Kenny.
Jennifer Cockfield then got involved, throwing both punches and her shoes at Piedra. The fight died down and Piedra walked away before allegedly coming back a short time later with a knife in hand.
When the man attacked Jennifer Cockfield and stabbed her multiple times, her husband intervened, officials said. Piedra allegedly proceeded to stab him once in the left side of the neck, twice in the chest and once in the face.
“He falls back, [Piedra] goes back to stab the female more and even though Mr. Cockfield is mortally wounded, he still comes to her aid and is trying to save her,” Kenny said.
After his arrest, cops said Piedra told them he was acting in self-defense, according to prosecutors.
“I don’t care if you are a woman or children,” Piedra was quoted as saying. “If my life is at stake, they are fair game.”
Piedra admitted that he stabbed the three individuals but he was adamant that he thought his own life was in danger, authorities said.
Police are still looking for the man who first hit Piedra with the lamp.
In 2018, Piedra was charged with assaulting two women when he struck them with umbrellas. One of the victims was 69 years old. The case was sent to mental health court, which the defendant completed in 2021.
He is due in court on Friday. He faces up to 25 years to life if convicted.
