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

Sept. 5, 2019 – Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced Cynthia Arce of Mamaroneck pleaded guilty to the murder of her toddler daughter and to other charges related to the attack on police officers in her home April 28, 2018. State Supreme Court Justice Barry Warhit accepted the plea.

Specifically, Arce pleaded guilty to Murder in the Second Degree, a class A felony, in the death of two-year-old Gabriella Boyd. In the attack on the two Village of Mamaroneck police officers, she pleaded guilty to two counts of Attempted Aggravated Assault upon a Police Officer, class C felonies. She is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 31, 2019.

Statement from Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr.:
“Today, justice was served for little Gabriella Boyd and the family who loved her. It’s also a sad day for all of us when a mother admits to the murder of her child. We hope this plea adds a level of closure for Gabriella’s father and their extended family,” said DA Scarpino. He added. “Two police officers were also injured in that house while doing their jobs, serving the Village of Mamaroneck. They too have received justice through the courts.”

Background
On April 28, 2018, Village of Mamaroneck Police responded to 507 Chestnut Ave. following a 911 call from Cynthia Arce's mother, reporting that someone was dying. When they arrived, police 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 the use of a stun gun failed to subdue her, a third officer shot and wounded Arce, ending the confrontation. Officers continued their efforts to resuscitate the child until paramedics arrived.

The child 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.

The investigation into the child’s murder was handled in collaboration with the Village of Mamaroneck Police Department, 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.

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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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