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New York City Man Allegedly Tried To Shove Engagement Ring Down Fiancée's Throat In Brutal Breakup Attack
John Foster is accused of stabbing Gabrielle Gottlieb to death in a New York City wine shop.
A New York City woman was brutally killed in a wine store last week after breaking things off with her fiancé, police said.
Gabrielle Gottlieb, 64, was fatally stabbed on Wednesday evening in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, the New York Police Department confirmed to Oxygen.com. Around 10 p.m. that night, officers responded to a 911 call reporting that someone had been assaulted inside of a liquor store; upon their arrival, they found Gottlieb with a stab wound to her chest and a knife at the scene, according to police.
Emergency Medical Services promptly transported Gottlieb to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
John Foster, 63, has been arrested in connection to Gottlieb’s death, police said. He faces charges of second-degree murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Gottlieb and Foster were previously in a relationship, but Gottlieb called off their engagement the day she was killed, the New York Daily News reports. Foster is alleged to have chased Gottlieb for two blocks before catching up with her when she fled into the Wine Heaven liquor store, according to the outlet.
He allegedly said to her, “You’ll be punished for this,” before the assault.
Foster is also accused of trying to force the engagement ring down Gottlieb’s throat during the attack, footage of which was captured by surveillance cameras and is now in the hands of the police, the New York Post reports.
Although a bystander tried to intervene in the attack, Foster allegedly punched the stranger in the face and proceeded to stab Gottlieb in the chest five times, The Post reports.
Following the stabbing, Foster allegedly fled to the roof of Gottlieb’s nearby apartment building, where he embarked on an hours-long standoff with police, according to the Daily News. He allegedly threatened to jump and also tried to goad officers into shooting him; he also said of Gottlieb, “She was the love of my life,” the outlet reports.
Police were eventually able to take him into custody at around 3 a.m., over four hours after the stabbing, according to the Post.
Gottlieb was a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist, and the proprietor of a holistic health business called the Well Balanced Woman, according to her website.
She met Foster — a martial artist — around a year ago. Their relationship had been a source of concern for Gottlieb’s friends due to Foster’s “volatility," friends of the health guru told the Daily News.
