A father from upstate New York allegedly killed his pregnant wife and stabbed their two young daughters after reportedly becoming enraged to find out their third child wasn’t going to be a son
Drew Garnier, 33, admitted to repeatedly stabbing his wife Samantha Garnier, 29, who was five months pregnant with their third child, as well as their children Adelina, nine, and Izzie, six.
The horrifying incident took place at the family’s home in Masonville on September 4 last year, according to the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office.
Samantha – who was just weeks away from turning 30 – and the couple’s unborn baby tragically died of their injuries, while their two daughters survived and are recovering from “serious injuries”, per the DA.
According to a victim impact statement from Samantha’s devastated father, Gregory Vernagallo, the reason for the brutal attack was that Garnier was upset that their third child was also going to be a girl.
Vernagallo told the court: “He wanted a boy.”
Police had arrested Garnier after responding to a report of a domestic dispute at the family’s home, according to the New York State Police.
The NYSP said that the mother and her two daughters were all found with multiple stab wounds and were treated by state troopers while waiting for EMTs to arrive on the scene.
All three were then airlifted to hospital due to the severity of their injuries, with Samantha tragically dying shortly after arrival, while her daughters survived.
Last month, Garnier pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and two counts of first-degree assault, which are both class B violent felonies.
He was last week sentenced to 30 years in prison with 15 years of supervision post-release as part of a plea deal aiming to protect his surviving daughters from the trauma of going to trial.
District Attorney Shawn Smith admitted that the sentence was less than he’d wanted, but added: “We were able to secure this conviction without forcing two young children to testify about the horrific things they witnessed.”
Garnier is also forbidden from seeing his daughters until 2056 – the maximum time permissable – which can be overruled by the girls if they decide they want contact with their father sooner.
Judge John Hubbard told Garnier about the no-contact order: “You took a life and injured your children. They had a right to expect protection from you.”
Garnier had been due to give birth to her third daughter in February, and her two older daughters have since been adopted by their maternal grandfather.
Vernagallo told the court at sentencing: “I am their father now. I will protect them.”
