Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 31-year-old Monica Carpenter of Amherst has been arraigned before Amherst Town Court Justice Kara Buscaglia on one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree, a Class “B” felony. She was arraigned on Monday, January 21, 2019.

It is alleged that during the early morning hours of January 21, 2019, the defendant caused the death of her boyfriend, 30-year-old Pedro Pizarro, inside their Callodine Avenue home. She is accused of stabbing the victim in the back.   

Carpenter is scheduled to return on Friday, January 25 at 11:30 a.m. for a felony hearing. She remains held on $100,000 cash or bond.

If convicted, she faces a maximum of 25 years in prison.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ashley M. Morgan of the DA’s Homicide Bureau.

As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.