MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A man stabbed a bouncer to death at a Washington Heights karaoke club after he was kicked out for becoming enraged about men dancing at the popular nightspot, prosecutors said at his murder trial Thursday.
Jonathan Gonzales-Alvarez, then 21, became angry that men were dancing next to women at the karaoke spot La Casa Del Mofongo on St. Nicholas Avenue early on Oct. 27, 2009, prosecutors said in opening arguments at his trial.
"Mr. Gonzales-Alvarez was unhappy that girls and men were on the stage dancing. He only wanted it to be women," Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Levinson said in opening arguments at Gonzales-Alvarez's trial. "So he started getting rowdy."
The accused murderer was then tossed from the club by staff at the location — and allegedly took his anger out on bouncer Arsene Epouta, 40, whose job it was to keep order at the busy establishment, prosecutors said.
The alleged murderer pulled out a switchblade and plunged it into Epouta's chest multiple times, including a fatal jab to his chest, prosecutors said.
A friend of the alleged stabber, Luis Almanzar, who was 30 at the time, grabbed Epouta so he could not escape while Gonzales-Alvarez stabbed the bouncer several times, prosecutors said.
"He had sliced an eight inch wound into his stomach. He had sliced his right thigh and in the unkindest cut of all, he plunged the knife into Mr. Epouta's heart," Levinson said.
David Segal, attorney for Gonzales-Alvarez, argued prosecutors could not prove it was his client who murdered the bouncer.
Prior to the trial, Gonzales-Alvarez asked through Segal whether the judge would promise him a flat 18-year prison sentence if he were to plead guilty.
But Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ruth Pickholz denied his request, offering a sentence of 18-years-to-life behind bars.
Gonzales-Alvarez faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted. His trial is expected to last two weeks.
Almanzar, who is charged charged with manslaughter, still has an open case.
