Union City Man Sentenced to 20 Years in State Prison

Union City Man Sentenced to 20 Years in State Prison


UNION CITY MAN SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS FOR AGGRAVATED MANSLAUGHTER IN 2018 STABBING DEATH OF QUEENS WOMAN

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information:

On Tuesday, October 6, 2020, the Honorable Mitzy Galis-Menendez, J.S.C. sentenced Kevin Cortes, age 28, of Union City, to 20 years in New Jersey state prison for his role in the death of Giselle Bravo, of Queens, N.Y., that occurred on March 26, 2018 in Union City.

During the sentencing, which was attended by family members of the victim, Cortes was also sentenced to 18 months on the aggravated assault of a Hudson County Corrections Officer that occurred on September 19, 2018 while in custody at the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny.  The two sentences are to run concurrent and the sentence for the aggravated manslaughter charge is subject to the No Early Release Act which requires that Cortes will have to serve 85 percent — or 17 years — before he is eligible for parole.

In June, Cortes pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree aggravated manslaughter in relation to the death of Bravo and to a charge of fourth-degree aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.

On March 26, 2018, at approximately 5:25 a.m., the Union City Police Department received a report of a person stabbed at 3612 New York Avenue. Upon arrival, responding Union City Police Officers encountered Cortes with a knife inside the building. The officers were able to secure the knife and detain the man. Cortes was subsequently transported to Palisades Medical Center for evaluation.

The officers then located a female victim, Giselle Bravo, age 20, of Queens, NY, on the third floor of the residence with multiple wounds to her upper body. Bravo was administered lifesaving aid at the scene and was then transported by Emergency Medical Services to the Jersey City Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at approximately 6:40 a.m.

On June 20, 2018, a Hudson County Grand Jury returned an Indictment against Cortes charging him with three counts related to the death of Giselle Bravo.

The State is represented in this case by Assistant Prosecutor Leo Hernandez and Luisa Florez of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.