A Long Island man was sentenced Wednesday to 50 years to life in prison for fatally stabbing his cousin and trying to kill the man’s girlfriend, authorities announced.
Wilson Felipe Andrade-Molina, 38, had been convicted in May of killing Miguel Andrade-Cando on March 30, 2023, in Hauppauge, about 40 miles east of Manhattan.
“While this sentence cannot undo the pain and suffering caused, we hope it provides some measure of closure to the victims and their families,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Wednesday in a statement.
Andrade-Molina and Andrade-Cando, 38, worked as machinists at the same industrial supplier, Electronic Machine Parts, in Hauppauge, according to investigators. Both men arrived for work before 7:30 a.m. on the day of the murder, cops said.
Surveillance video captured their arrivals. Within minutes, Andrade-Molina fatally stabbed his cousin in the neck, according to police. The business owner found Andrade-Cando’s body in a pool of blood and called the cops.
But Andrade-Molina had already fled to the Brentwood home that Andrade-Cando shared with his girlfriend, Santa Pena, and her 21-year-old son, investigators said. At the home, he stabbed Pena nine times, nearly killing her. Pena spent weeks in intensive care at a local hospital.
The son was awoken to his mother’s screams and attempted to help her, but Andrade-Molina threatened him with the knife, police said.
Officers tracked down Andrade-Molina just before 9 a.m., less than two hours after the first attack. He has remained in custody since then.
On May 23, Andrade-Molina was convicted of second-degree murder for killing Andrade-Cando and second-degree attempted murder for the attack on Pena. He was also convicted of first-degree assault.
Supreme Court Judge Tim Mazzei hit Andrade-Molina with the maximum possible sentence, 50 years to life in prison, plus five years of post-release probation.
“We remain dedicated to resolving every case, no matter how challenging, and to standing beside victims throughout the process,” Tierney said. “Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragedy as they continue to heal.”
