Massachusetts

‘I'm Also Going to Kill You': New Details Emerge in Waitress Stabbing

A man accused of stabbing a waitress in the neck earlier this month after he refused to pay his bill was ordered held on $100,000 bail on Thursday.

Gerardo Reyes Menjivar, 36, of Lynn, was arraigned in Chelsea District Court on charges of armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

He was arrested in Prince George's County in Maryland earlier this month, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. He was brought back to Massachusetts on Tuesday after waiving rendition proceedings.

Reyes Menjivar allegedly left the Las Pupusas Del Chino restaurant in Chelsea on the night of May 7 without paying his bill, police have said. When a waitress caught up with him to confront him about the skipped bill, he allegedly stabbed her in the throat before fleeing the scene.

"He stated to her, 'If you want me to pay, I'll pay you,'" Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Robert Connelly said in court Thursday. "He grabbed her left arm, twisting and pulling her toward the car. Her hand got caught in the steering wheel as he pulled her and began driving."

Hanging onto the moving car, prosecutors said she turned the wheel, causing the car to go up onto the sidewalk. They said Reyes Menjivar stopped just before hitting a tree.

"At that point, the defendant said, 'OK, I'm going to pay and I'm also going to kill you,'" Connelly said. "He then let go of her and went for what she thought was his wallet. His hand came up and slashed her neck and then her hand."

The slashing left a 3 to 4 inch wound in the victim's neck and a 1 to 2 inch cut on her hand.

"She ran to a house and rang doorbells until a witness came to the door, gave her a shirt to control the bleeding and called 911," Connelly said.

The 34-year-old victim was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital and is expected to survive her injuries.

Prosecutors said in court Thursday that one of the most notable items recovered from Reyes Menjivar's car was a Husky brand utility knife. They said the knife could be the same one he allegedly used to stab the waitress.

Reyes Menjivar is being represented by attorney John Hayes.

If he makes bail, he was ordered to wear a GPS monitor and stay away from the victim, witnesses and the location of the stabbing. He is scheduled to return to court on June 25.

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