Spring Valley Woman Who Stabbed Restaurateur Is Sentenced

SPRING VALLEY, NY — Evelyn Lopez of Spring Valley has been sentenced to nine years in state prison over a brutal slashing in 2022.

The evening of March 10, 2022, the victim closed up her restaurant for the night and started to get into her car.

Lopez approached pretending to need medical assistance, prosecutors said. However, when the victim started to help, Lopez stabbed and slashed her repeatedly. The stabbing lacerated tendons in the victim’s hand, requiring specialized surgery, and caused a deep gash to the victim’s face, prosecutors said.

Members of the Spring Valley Police Department, Ramapo Police Department, and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, where they recovered the two knives possessed by the defendant during the attack.

Lopez was convicted Feb. 8 of first-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon after a three-week jury trial before the Honorable Larry J. Schwartz.

She was sentenced Wednesday to nine years on the assault charge, and 364 days each for the two weapons counts. All sentences to run concurrent with each other.

"The defendant in this case committed a brutal act of senseless violence against the victim. This unprovoked attack left the victim with serious injuries," said Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II in the announcement. "I commend the Spring Valley Police Department and other agencies involved with the investigation for quickly apprehending the defendant. The defendant will now be serving a lengthy prison sentence and will be held accountable for her actions."

The matter was prosecuted by Supervising Assistant District Attorneys Graham Chapman and Matthew Martinez of the Felony Trial Bureau.