East Flatbush man sentenced for assault and kidnapping of ex

The Kings County Supreme Court, Criminal Term, located at 320 Jay St. in Downtown Brooklyn. Eagle photo by Rob Abruzzese

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that an East Flatbush man has been sentenced following his conviction for kidnapping and stabbing his ex-girlfriend in April 2023, leaving her for dead on the side of a Long Island parkway.

“She survived because she refused to give up, fought through unimaginable injuries and found a way to get help,” Gonzalez said. “Thanks to her resilience and courage, this defendant has been held accountable and will spend 15 years in prison.”

The defendant, Darren Brathwaite, 39, of East Flatbush, Brooklyn, was sentenced by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Warin to 15 years in prison.

Brathwaite was convicted of second-degree kidnapping, first-degree attempted assault, second-degree robbery, second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful imprisonment on Sept. 30, 2025, following a jury trial.

According to the evidence, on April 29, 2023, at approximately 7 p.m., the victim finished her work shift in East Flatbush, where the defendant was waiting for her. He approached her and offered to drive her to her babysitter’s home to pick up her child, and she got in his car.

As they drove, Brathwaite asked his ex about rekindling their relationship. When she refused, the defendant became enraged, grabbed her, punched her, took her phone and brandished a knife.

He then repeatedly stabbed and slashed her in the neck and thigh and strangled her with both hands.

As Brathwaite continued driving, the victim attempted to escape the car several times but was forcibly pulled back inside and repeatedly stabbed.

Eventually, she went limp and pretended to be dead to stop the attack.

Brathwaite drove from Brooklyn to Long Island, stopped on the Wantagh State Parkway and dragged what he believed was the victim’s lifeless body out of the vehicle.

After walking away, he returned and realized the victim was still alive, according to the evidence. He again stabbed her multiple times and moved her deeper into the brush on the side of the parkway before fleeing.

Despite her extensive injuries, the victim managed to reach the roadway, where she flagged down a New York State Trooper. She was transported to Nassau University Medical Center and was treated for numerous stab wounds to her neck and thigh.

The defendant fled to Atlantic City, New Jersey, and on May 2, 2023, was located and removed from the ocean by an Atlantic City Police Department officer.

Following coordination between the NYPD 67th Precinct Detective Squad, Brooklyn South Warrant Squad and Atlantic County authorities, the defendant was taken into custody and transported to Brooklyn.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Jessica Soares and Assistant District Attorney Lawrence Newman, Special Counsel, both of the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kori Medow, Bureau Chief.