Defendant: Cynthia Arce (DOB 07/10/89)

Sept. 12, 2018 -- Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced that Cynthia Arce of Mamaroneck was indicted on charges related to the death of her toddler daughter, Gabriella Boyd, in their Chestnut Ave. home April 28, 2018, and the attack on two Village of Mamaroneck Police Officers.

The Westchester Grand Jury indicted Arce on one count of Murder in the Second Degree, a class A felony, in the death of Gabriella Boyd.

In the attack on the two police officers she faces the following charges:

  • Two counts of Attempted Aggravated Murder, class A felonies
  • Two counts of Attempted Aggravated Assault upon a Police Officer, class C felonies
  • Two counts of Assault in the Second Degree, class D felonies

Incident Location: A house located at 507 Chestnut Ave. in the Village of Mamaroneck where Arce lived with her mother and daughter.

Background

Prosecutors allege, on April 28, 2018, Village of Mamaroneck Police responded to 507 Chestnut Ave. following a 911 call from Arce's mother, reporting that someone was dying. When they arrived, they found two-year-old Gabriella Boyd unresponsive on her bed.

Officers immediately tried to resuscitate the child. While clearing the house, other officers located Arce in an adjacent bedroom behind a closed door. Arce had both her hands hidden behind her back and refused to comply with repeated police commands to show her hands. Arce then brought both hands from behind her back and above her shoulders revealing two large knives, one in each hand. She charged at the officers, repeatedly slashing at two of them. When Tasers failed to subdue her, a third officer shot Arce, ending the confrontation. Officers continued their efforts to resuscitate the child until paramedics arrived.

Gabriella Boyd was transported to White Plains Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Following an autopsy, the Medical Examiner’s Officer ruled her death to be a homicide. Two Village of Mamaroneck Police Officers were injured as a result of the confrontation.

Arce was taken to Westchester County Medical Center where she was treated for several weeks for her gunshot injuries. Arce was arrested at the hospital, charged, and remanded by a judge to the Westchester County Jail where she has remained since.

At this time, the date of Arce’s arraignment on this indictment is pending.

The indictment was the result of a joint investigation among the Village of Mamaroneck Police Dept., the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Laura Murphy, Bureau Chief of the Career Criminal Bureau, and Nicholas DiCostanzo, both of the Superior Court Trial Division.

police photo of Cynthia Arce

Cynthia Arce

 In compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3.6, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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