Distraught and shackled, accused killer Brian Sohtz shouted out he was “sorry” and that he “loved Daniella” yesterday at a Brooklyn police precinct, where he was charged with brutally murdering his girlfriend, Daniella Mannino.
According to reports, Sohtz told his ex-wife, who lives in Long Island, that he lost control during an argument.
She alerted cops. Shortly after, Mannino, 34, was found in Shotz’s Bensonhurst apartment, dead from numerous stab wounds.
Suffolk County cops arrested Sohtz on Tuesday in East Patchogue, where they said he fled after the murder. Then, the Suffolk County Police Department turned him over to the NYPD.
Police are investigating domestic abuse, something Long Island advocates say they see daily.
“Domestic abuse is a huge problem in Suffolk County,” affirmed Jo Anne Sanders, the executive director of the Suffolk County Coalition Against Domestic Abuse.
She said reported domestic abuse cases increased 25 percent in Nassau County in 2009.
“The statistics are frightening, but what’s even more frightening is that it’s an underreported crime,” she said. “A lot of women are being abused, but they don’t report it.”
Tracking violence
State legislators have introduced the Domestic Violence Registration Act, which would require offenders with felony domestic violence convictions to register online. Introduced by Brooklyn state Sen. Eric Adams, it would list an offender’s address, workplace and property. A registry might hold offenders accountable, said Beth Silverman-Yam, who leads clinical programs for Sanctuary for Families, a refuge for domestic-violence victims. –Alison Bowen/Metro
