A police sketch helped Miami officers spot a violent robber accused of stabbing a woman in a near-fatal purse snatching this past Sunday.
Rene A. Alfaro, 39, was arrested Tuesday night in the area of Southwest 12th Ave. and 8th St. after officers recognized the scruffy thug from the sketch.
Alfaro is charged with attempted murder and attempted armed robbery related to the brutal stabbing.
According to police, Ivis Vertoli-Romero, 31, was leaving a visit with her son at a Little Havana apartment complex when she was approached by Alfaro. He immediately stabbed her in the back, then tried to wrestle her purse away from her a second time in the chest, piercing her heart.
He fled of foot without stealing anything. Vertoli-Romero was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she is listed in critical condition.
Alfaro is being held in jail without bond.
