A New Hampshire man has been found guilty of first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend in a Massachusetts restaurant. The victim was attending a book club meeting at the time of the attack.
32-year-old Carlos Asencio was convicted on Tuesday in Worcester Superior Court. He is facing a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, with sentencing scheduled for June 29th.
In July 2019, Asencio, a Derry resident, stabbed 31-year-old Amanda Dabrowski nearly 20 times in the neck and body inside O’Connor’s Restaurant in Worcester. The attack occurred in front of numerous patrons and employees, some of whom bravely intervened and restrained Asencio until law enforcement arrived.
The victim's father, Edward Dabrowski, expressed his family's relief following the verdict, stating, "While no verdict will ever bring Amanda back, we are relieved that a jury found this man responsible for taking her from us." Another restaurant patron was also injured in the attack but survived.
Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. offered condolences to the victim's family, emphasizing the devastating nature of the crime. He expressed hope that the verdict would bring some measure of justice to the grieving family. The couple had previously been in a short-term relationship.
Asencio's defense argued that he was experiencing a mental health episode at the time of the stabbing and pursued an insanity defense.
