Pregnant Melinda Irizarry, her boyfriend, and her five-year-old daughter decided to stay in an Osceola County, Florida motel room to celebrate his birthday. The family celebrated by ordering a $33.10 pizza, but the night would soon turn violent.
Brianna Alvelo delivered the pizzas and Irizarry handed her $50 and asked for change. When Alvelo said she didn’t have change for $50, Irizarry searched her car for smaller bills. Alvelo ended up with a $2 tip and walked away rolling her eyes, read Irizarry’s statement.
A short time later, the family heard a loud bang on the door. Irizarry opened the door to see a masked man and woman, who then forced their way into the hotel room.
“When I opened the door and saw them there, I thought, ‘Oh God, these people came in here to hurt us,’” Irizarry told WESH from her hospital bed. “It was really traumatic… My daughter seeing that and being there for the whole thing is so heartbreaking for me.”
Alvelo didn’t just rob the family, either
Once they were in the hotel room, things quickly went from bad to worse. The masked woman, later identified to be Alvelo, pointed a gun at the five-year-old girl. Irizarry shielded her daughter with her own body, and the assailant stabbed her 14 times.
“She wasn’t even upset, she was in like, a frenzy mode,” she said. She believes Alvelo didn’t attack her solely because of the small tip that night. “She got her money, my boyfriend told her where to get the money, and she didn’t get the money.”
The attacker instructed Irizarry’s boyfriend to hide in the bathroom, broke her daughter’s Nintendo Switch, and stole a few items. Irizarry tried to phone the police, but Alvelo took her phone and smashed it.
Police found Irizarry stabbed several times in the chest, legs, and abdomen. Police rushed her to the hospital, where she underwent surgery for a ruptured lung.
She was caught on video surveillance cameras
Police were able to tie Alvelo to the crime after cameras matched the car the attackers were in with the vehicle that delivered Irizarry’s pizza that night. Police arrested her the next day after her manager identified her from the tape.
Authorities have denied her bond, charging her with home invasion with a firearm, attempted murder, kidnapping, and aggravated assault.
