Jamaica Man Charged With Murdering His Daughter's Boyfriend

JAMAICA, QUEENS — A Jamaica man was charged with murder for fatally stabbing his daughter's boyfriend in January, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Marco Ortiz, 45, was arraigned Thursday on murder, manslaughter and weapon charges for the Jan. 24 attack in his home, prosecutors said.

Ortiz had been arguing with his daughter's boyfriend, 31-year-old Travis Ford, when Ortiz slashed the man in the face, then stabbed him in the stomach with a knife, prosecutors said. Ford died from the stab wound.

Ortiz's lawyer characterized the blows as an act of self-defense and said he believed Ford was intoxicated at the time.

"My client was attacked by his drunken son-in-law that vowed to kill him," the lawyer, Frank Kelly, told Patch. "My client was in fear of being murdered."

Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth C. Holder set bail at $10 million, which Kelly called "clearly excessive."

If convicted, Ortiz faces up to 25 years to life in prison, prosecutors said.