Man who murdered ex-girlfriend at Worcester restaurant gets life sentence

The New Hampshire man found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend at a Worcester, Massachusetts, restaurant in 2019 was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Carlos Asencio was found guilty of first-degree murder in the July 3, 2019, stabbing death of Amanda Dabrowski at O'Connor's Restaurant & Bar in Worcester. He was also found guilty of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The two had previously dated.

Asencio was guaranteed the sentence of life without parole for the killing. He was also sentenced to 9-10 years in prison for assault and battery.

He appeared in court on Thursday for his sentencing, but asked not to be present in the room. He authorized his lawyer to read a statement on his behalf that called the killing a "mental health tragedy."

"My thoughts and prayers go out to any victims of this incident. Despite what the court may have said, this is a mental health tragedy. I will spend the rest of my days trying to atone for this and helping others with similar illnesses, such as schizo-affective disorder, PTSD, borderline personality disorder and depression," the full statement said.

Dabrowski's sister and father read statements before the sentencing.

"You don't deserve anything. Nothing good, nothing at all," her sister, Victoria Dobrowski, said, adding, "I hope you feel alone while you spend the rest of your life in prison."

Her father, Edward Dabrowski, said that his beloved daughter could "rest in peace knowing the monster cannot hurt anyone ever again."

After the verdict was read last week, the family embraced.

Dabrowski, a 31-year-old Ayer resident, was there for a book club meeting and had just left the bathroom when she was attacked. Several other patrons stopped the attack and restrained the suspect. Some of those witnesses took the stand during the trial, Telegram and Gazette reported.

Asencio's defense had argued he was suffering from psychosis at the time of the attack. In 2019, he was found mentally incompetent to stand trial based on a psychiatric evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital that was ordered at his arraignment. His mental state became the subject of dueling expert opinions in court during the trial.

Prosecutors alleged that Asencio killed Dabrowski as revenge for ending their relationship. They said he tried to harm her in April 2019, breaking into her home, then left the country before returning ahead of the deadly July attack.

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