BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — A Brooklyn woman is facing a 15-year prison sentence after stabbing her roommate, pistol-whipping the victim’s daughter, and then stabbing the victim’s dog, according to court documents.
Iescha Gowdy, 34, of East New York, will serve 15 years in prison and receive five years of post-release supervision, District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced on Friday.
“Brooklyn is safer with this defendant behind bars,” DA Gonzalez said. “Her brazen and unprovoked violence could have easily cost an innocent life, and today’s sentence ensures she can no longer endanger our community. I am grateful to our prosecutors and the NYPD for their outstanding work on this case.”
A 57-year-old victim and her daughter were living in a room within a friend’s apartment. This friend, who was hosting the victim and her daughter, also shared the space with Gowdy, according to court documents.
One day, Gowdy came out of her bedroom into the living room with a gun and threatened to shoot everyone in the apartment. She fired three shots but did not hit anyone, court documents said.
The victim’s daughter fled the apartment and ran down the stairwell. Gowdy chased her, caught up with her, and struck her on the forehead with the pistol.
After striking the victim, a fight ensued, and then the 57-year-old woman came down the stairs and removed the gun from Gowdy’s hand.
Gowdy then went back up to the apartment, officials said.
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A neighbor then aided the 57-year-old woman and her daughter in the building.
A few minutes after going back to the apartment, Gowdy returned holding a knife in each hand. She then stabbed the 57-year-old woman in the neck, documents said.
Gowdy then attempted to leave. One of the victims followed her and witnessed Gowdy pick up their dog, who had escaped during the attack. Gowdy stabbed the dog once in the stomach before finally leaving the building, according to an investigation.
Both the victim and the dog received treatment for their stab wounds, police said.
Gowdy was arrested the following day after the incident, police said. She later pleaded guilty to attempted murder and criminal use of a firearm, according to documents.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
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