A Nassau County judge on Thursday sentenced a Glen Cove man to 25 years to life in prison for the fatal stabbing of his estranged mother-in-law outside a restaurant in West Hempstead, a killing that devastated her family and shocked the community.

Erick Corado Gonzalez was convicted in the 2024 murder of Ana Espinoza, 51, whom relatives remembered as the heart of their family.

According to prosecutors, Espinoza was attending a birthday celebration at La Candella II restaurant in West Hempstead when Gonzalez allegedly waited for about four hours before carrying out the attack. As family members walked to their vehicles in the parking lot, prosecutors said Gonzalez grabbed Espinoza in a chokehold and repeatedly stabbed her.

Authorities said Espinoza's husband was also injured during the attack, suffering a stab wound to the hand.

Gonzalez fled the area but was arrested the following day in New Jersey. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in September of this year.

During Thursday's sentencing hearing, members of Espinoza's family delivered emotional victim impact statements, describing the lasting pain caused by her death, and spoke with reporters after court.

"She was the life of the party. She was the matriarch. She was somebody that you can count on, and losing her, it's a loss you can't put into words," said Danielle Freshour Espinoza, the victim's sister-in-law.

Family members remembered Ana Espinoza as a beloved mother, grandmother, sister-in-law and friend whose absence continues to be deeply felt.