Felon gets 18 years for stabbing, strangling sleeping wife

He was also sentenced for DWI after he rear-ended and sideswiped his wife’s car months after the attack

A Central Islip man with four prior DWI convictions was sentenced to 18 years in prison Thursday for stabbing and strangling his wife as she slept, then months later smashing into her car while driving drunk, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced.

Rodolfo Alvarez, 35, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and a string of related charges. Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard Horowitz handed down the sentence Thursday, adding five years of post-release supervision.

“Today, justice has been served against this defendant who strangled and stabbed his sleeping wife,” Tierney said. “Thankfully, she survived that brutal attack and will no longer have to worry about her safety while this defendant serves many years in prison.”

Prosecutors said Alvarez attacked his wife on May 10, 2024, stabbing her in the back with a kitchen knife as she slept in their Central Islip home, then strangling her until she lost consciousness. He kept his hands around her neck until a relative knocked on the door and told him police were on the way, Tierney said, noting court documents and Alvarez’s guilty plea admissions.

Alvarez fled the couple’s home before officers arrived. His wife was treated at South Shore University Hospital and survived her injuries.

Alvarez remained at large for months, until Sept. 26, 2024, when he rear-ended and sideswiped his wife’s car as she drove to work, sending his own vehicle rolling. He managed to exit the car and run from the crash but was caught nearby, visibly intoxicated, Tierney said. A blood draw about an hour later put his blood alcohol content at .22 — more than twice the legal limit, the prosecutor said.

Alvarez pleaded guilty April 28 to attempted murder, first-degree attempted assault, two counts of second-degree assault, second-degree strangulation, aggravated DWI, two counts of DWI, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, second-degree reckless endangerment, fourth-degree criminal mischief and leaving the scene of an incident resulting in injury.

He previously was convicted of DWI in 2014, 2019 (twice) and 2023. Additionally, Tierney noted, Alvarez has prior convictions for first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree criminal mischief and third-degree menacing.

_{Top: Rodolfo Alvarez (provided by SCDA’s office)}