Bronx, NY – A horrifying case of domestic violence and torture has led to the arrest of a 27-year-old Bronx man and his mother, after police say the two murdered his girlfriend, a 21-year-old woman who had just moved to New York weeks earlier.
Victim Tied, Tortured, and Discarded After Death
According to NYPD detectives, Princesa Encarnacion-Soto was tied to a bed and brutally tortured inside the apartment of suspect Robert Strother’s mother, Naida Jorge, in the 2200 block of Grand Concourse. Strother is accused of inflicting “slice marks” on her thighs, arms, and shoulders — wounds described by officials as intended “for pain, not to kill.”
“There was no blood on her body or clothing when officers found her,” said Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. “She appeared to have been cleaned, dressed in fresh clothes, and thrown down a flight of stairs.”
Gruesome Details Revealed by Police
Officers responding to a 911 call of an assault on July 22 discovered the woman’s body on a staircase in the building. She had suffered multiple stab wounds, cuts underneath her feet, and was reportedly missing part of a knuckle. Court documents also revealed she had been bludgeoned with a hammer.
Emergency personnel transported her to BronxCare Health System, where she was pronounced dead.
Mother and Son Both Charged With Murder
After a weeklong manhunt, Strother was arrested last Saturday, while Jorge, 54, was taken into custody at the scene on the day of the crime. Both now face charges including:
- Murder
- Manslaughter
- Concealment of a human corpse
- Hindering prosecution
- Tampering with physical evidence
Jorge is accused of allowing the murder to happen in her apartment, helping clean up the scene, and interfering with the investigation.
Victim Had Just Moved in Days Before
Encarnacion-Soto had recently relocated from Rhode Island to New York on July 11, less than two weeks before her death. She had been living in the apartment with Strother and his mother since arriving.
Authorities say Strother has a long history of domestic violence, with over 20 prior arrests related to abuse filed by multiple women.
Family Devastated by the Loss
Speaking after the arrests, the victim’s heartbroken mother said:
“My heart is broken. My little baby, my little everything is gone.”
The brutality of the crime and the alleged involvement of Strother’s own mother has intensified calls for stronger protections for young women at risk of domestic violence in the city.
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