Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Didier Andrea Giraldo, 40, was arrested yesterday and charged with aggravated battery after allegedly stabbing a roommate with a fork.

A Gainesville Police Department officer reported that as of September 2, the date of the alleged incident, Giraldo and the victim had been roommates for about three weeks and had a verbal agreement in which the victim would lease a room for two months.

On September 2, Giraldo and the victim got into an argument that escalated to the point where Giraldo allegedly stabbed the victim with a fork, leaving the victim with a three-inch-long cut in his upper torso.

A witness who had recently been brought to the apartment by the victim said that Giraldo and the victim got into an argument after Giraldo accused the victim of eating his food without his consent. She said she saw Giraldo charge at the victim and swing at him with a fork, but she did not see the injury because the victim left immediately.

Post Miranda, Giraldo reportedly said he had been upset that the victim had brought more people to live in the apartment after promising that only he and the victim would live there; he was also upset that he was still paying the same rent while more people moved in. He said he had gotten into an argument with the victim because the victim was eating his food, and the victim tried to attack him. He reportedly said he swung at the victim with a spoon in self-defense but didn’t know whether he had injured the victim.

Giraldo, who was identified by his Colombian passport, has no local criminal history. Judge Sean Brewer released him on his own recognizance.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.