Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a Roosevelt man was sentenced to up to life in prison for murdering his ex-girlfriend in front of their two-year-old son at her home in Hempstead in October 2024.
Jose William Funes-Zabala, 44, pleaded guilty on October 29, 2025, before Judge Howard Sturim to Murder in the Second Degree (an A-I felony) and Endangering the Welfare of a Child (an A misdemeanor).
The defendant was sentenced today to 20 years to life in prison. NCDA recommended a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
“This monster slaughtered the mother of his child as his toddler son watched. A little boy whose final moments with his mother were filled with terror, anguish, and blood. Unimaginable horrors that this defendant forced upon his own son,” said DA Donnelly. “Brenda was a kind and loving mother who dedicated herself to her family, working extra shifts to make sure they had everything they needed. That is how she will be remembered by the people who loved her, while the vicious and jealous man who stole her from them spends his life in prison.”
DA Donnelly said that on October 4, 2024, an order of protection against the defendant, issued on behalf of the victim, 29-year-old Brenda Guadoloupe Alfaro Alcantara had expired.
The next day, on October 5, 2024, at approximately 5:58 p.m., the defendant went to Alfaro Alcantara’s basement apartment on Botsford Street in Hempstead to visit their two-year-old son.
An argument began between the defendant and the victim when Funes-Zabala learned that Alfaro-Alcantara had started dating. The defendant then stabbed Alfaro-Alcantara approximately 35 times in her bedroom with their son present.
At approximately 6:58 p.m., Funes-Zabala walked out of the basement apartment with what appeared to be blood on his face. He then fled the residence, leaving the child, who was uninjured, behind.
The victim and child were later discovered in the apartment by relatives after family members were unable to contact Alfaro-Alcantara.
Funes-Zabala was arrested on October 6, 2024, at Nassau University Medical Center by members of the Nassau County Police Department Homicide Squad.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Ania Pulaski of the Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Daryl Levy, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Litigation Division Kevin Higgins. The defendant is represented by Brian Carmody, Esq.