Sunset Park man murders girlfriend, attempts suicide

Sunset Park’s 51^st Street between Third and Fourth Avenues was the scene of a grisly crime on Saturday, April 6.

Two officers from the 72^nd Precinct responded to a report of an assault in front of 336 51^st Street at 10:28 a.m. The block is tree-lined and sleepy, with a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library on the corner. When the cops arrived, they discovered a 31-year-old white female, Tara Beardsall, on the sidewalk with a stab wound to her neck.

Upon further investigation, police discovered the suspect, Alex Santiago, a 44-year-old white Hispanic male, inside the building with a stab wound to his neck.

EMS responded and transported the victim and suspect to Lutheran Medical Center, where Beardsall was pronounced dead.

According to a police source, Santiago has several prior arrests and a history of domestic violence. Further investigation as to the reason why he tried to kill himself is ongoing.

“It’s a domestic incident that unfortunately went bad,” said Captain James Grant, commanding officer of the 72^nd Precinct, adding that Santiago was charged with second degree murder and is still recovering at Lutheran.

He told attendees of the 72^nd Precinct Community Council meeting, gathered at the precinct for the April meeting, not to be alarmed.

“This was an isolated incident,” Grant said.

Grant went on to say that the Police Department has increased its efforts to combat domestic violence. This year, the NYPD launched a database that keeps better records of domestic violence incidents. Officers have already received training on how to operate the new database.

Grant noted that Beardsall did report previous incidents of violence to police, but since she gave a Manhattan address, Santiago was never on their radar.