Jennifer Ayala told investigators she acted in self-defense during an altercation with 36-year-old Pedersin Pelissier, according to court documents.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — A Brooklyn woman has been charged in connection with the fatal stabbing of her boyfriend inside an East Flatbush apartment early Saturday, authorities said, as court documents and police accounts provide new details about the confrontation.
Jennifer Ayala is accused of stabbing 36-year-old Pedersin Pelissier during an altercation at her apartment on Linden Boulevard on Sept. 19. Police said Pelissier was taken to Kings County Hospital after officers found him wounded shortly before 7 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Ayala was taken into custody and later charged with manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon, while police reports also listed assault charges.
A criminal complaint cited in local reporting says Ayala told investigators that Pelissier had been hitting her and would not stop. She said she picked up a knife and stabbed him while trying to protect herself, according to the court account. That claim has not been adjudicated, and prosecutors have accused Ayala of causing Pelissier’s death. Police have described the incident as a domestic dispute.
Authorities responded to the apartment at about 6:50 a.m. to 7 a.m. after a report that a man had been stabbed. Police and local news reports place the incident at 333 Linden Blvd. in East Flatbush. Pelissier, who authorities said lived in Fort Greene, suffered stab wounds and was rushed by emergency medical workers to Kings County Hospital.
Local reports differ on some details of the case. News 12 and amNewYork reported that police listed Ayala as 36 and said she faced manslaughter, two assault counts and a weapons charge. A later PIX11 report, citing the criminal complaint and court records, identified Ayala as 33 and said prosecutors charged her with first-degree manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon. The discrepancy in her reported age and the exact charging information could not be independently resolved from publicly available material reviewed Monday.
amNewYork reported that Ayala called 911 shortly after 7 a.m. and told authorities that a man had been stabbed inside the apartment. The outlet, citing sources familiar with the investigation, reported that officers from the 67th Precinct found Pelissier on the floor and that Ayala was asking for efforts to revive him. Police took her into custody at the scene.
News 12 reported that sources close to the investigation said Ayala and Pelissier had argued before the stabbing. Neighbors told the station that the couple had argued in the past, but the circumstances of those earlier disputes were not established by police. Authorities have not publicly released a complete account of what happened immediately before the stabbing.
The more recent court-based reporting adds Ayala’s claim of self-defense to the case. According to the report citing the criminal complaint, Ayala told investigators that Pelissier was striking her when she picked up the knife. Whether her actions legally qualify as self-defense will be a matter for the criminal proceedings and cannot be determined from the allegation alone.
Ayala was arraigned Sunday, according to court information cited by PIX11, and was referred to a problem-solving alternative court program. Details about her next scheduled court appearance were not confirmed in the records reviewed for this report. An attorney representing Ayala could not be reached by PIX11 on Monday.
The investigation remained open Monday. Police and prosecutors had not publicly released a full reconstruction of the confrontation, and no final determination had been made about Ayala’s self-defense claim. The criminal charges are accusations, and Ayala has not been convicted in connection with Pelissier’s death.
Author note: Last updated September 21, 2026.