A Brooklyn man accused of killing an NYPD officer as he responded to a domestic violence call will be charged with assault in "numerous past domestic violence incidents involving his ex-girlfriend," Kings County District Attorney Charles. J. Hynes said Friday.
George Villanueva, 42, faces a 41-count indictment of harassment, assault and stalking related to seven previous domestic violence calls, Hynes said.
Villanueva is also charged with killing NYPD Officer Alain Schaberger by pushing him over a railing during a domestic incident call in Boerum Hill.
When Schaberger attempted to arrest Villanueva, authorities say he pushed the officer, who toppled 9 feet over the railing of a staircase.
Schaberger, a 10-year veteran, landed head-first in the cement stairwell that led to the basement and broke his neck. He died soon afterward at Lutheran Hospital.
Villanueva said in an interview with the Daily News from Rikers Island that he didn't mean to push Schaberger.
Schaberger entered the Police Academy two months before the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and one of his first assignments was guarding the checkpoints around ground zero, helping families cope with their losses.
He also served in the U.S. Navy from 1991 to 1995.
Villanueva's rap sheet includes 28 prior arrests, mostly for robbery and burglary; he had been released from prison in February 2005.
