Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced today that Ernesto Cruz was arraigned on an indictment charging him with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and weapon possession for the stabbing deaths of his wife, Ana Alexandra Pilatagsi Moposita, and the couple’s 2-year-old daughter. The victim and her daughter were each stabbed numerous times in the torso inside their Ridgewood home. The defendant then allegedly stabbed himself in an apparent suicide attempt.

District Attorney Katz said: “New York City mourns the 2-year-old child and mother who were stabbed to death in their own home. The defendant stands accused of killing them before trying to take his own life in a devastating case of domestic violence. I urge anyone who is made to feel unsafe in their own home to reach out. The prosecutors in my office work closely with our service provider partners who can help with safety planning. My thoughts are with the loved ones affected by this loss.”

Cruz, 54, of Forest Avenue in Ridgewood, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with murder in the first degree, two counts of murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. Queens Criminal Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder remanded the defendant and ordered him to return to court on October 16. If convicted, Cruz faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

District Attorney Katz said that, according to the investigation and indictment, on July 19, 2025, at approximately 7:15 p.m., NYPD officers responded to an apartment on Forest Avenue in Ridgewood on a report of an assault in progress. They found Ana Alexandra Pilatagsi Moposita, 41, and her daughter, 2-year-old Analiz Cruz Pilatagsi, bleeding and unresponsive. Both had been stabbed multiple times.

The victims were taken to area hospitals where they were pronounced deceased.

Cruz had stab wounds to his chest and a cut on his wrist. He was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery.

Assistant District Attorney Ryan Nicolosi of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Veronika Podoprigora under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys John Kosinski, Bureau Chief, and Karen Ross and Jonathan Selkowe, Deputy Bureau Chiefs, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.