Teen Confesses to Random Stabbing of Mother of Three at Bus Stop: ‘I Knew I Was Guilty’
The woman was on her way to work when she was stabbed by a teenager at a bus stop.
March 22 2026, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
A 18-year-old teen, Luis Emmanuel Valencia Ponce, allegedly admitted to police that he stabbed a woman at the bus stop in Queens while she was on her way to work. The victim, a 29-year-old mother of three, suffered serious injuries in the attack.
The accused reportedly confessed after detectives showed him surveillance footage capturing the unprovoked assault. The footage that was presented during his arraignment on March 19 at Queens Criminal Court showed the victim Lisette Ramales being stabbed at an east Elmhurst bus stop on the morning of March 16.
A 29-year-old woman, who was on her way to work, was stabbed by a teenager.
“If I am being honest with you, I don't remember running towards her, I remember running after her,” Ponce told investigators. “Seeing the footage, knowing how it looks, I knew I was guilty."
Investigators asked him about his alleged motive to fly out of the country.
“You are saying you are guilty of what you did, right? Do you think that is the reason you tried to leave JFK? You were trying to flee from what you did?” one of the detectives asked.
To which Ponce replied, “Yes, sir.”
The teen remained reserved and briefly glanced at his father and defense attorney in the courtroom as the prosecutor recalled the details of the attack that took place at the bus stop in Queens.
Ponce was held without bail on an attempted murder charge at his court arraignment.
Ponce’s father has declined to comment on the case.
Ramales was on her way to work when Ponce allegedly walked behind and stabbed her, leaving her with a punctured lung and four stab wounds that required several stitches.
Assistant District Attorney Isabelle Dudek described the attack in court, “She was walking to the bus stop on the way to cross the street, when somebody came up behind her and repeatedly stabbed her. She is very fearful about the incident and the defendant."
Ponce's defense attorney requested that he receive treatment for mental health conditions, citing that he would benefit form professional care and that his father would ensure he attends all the appointments.
The judge, however, rejected the request saying, "The negatives outweigh the positives," and remanded Ponce into custody.
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