BOSTON, April 30, 2012—A Suffolk Superior Court jury this afternoon convicted a Mission Hill woman of stabbing her neighbor during a dispute two years ago over a parking spot the victim had shoveled out, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Jurors convicted CARMEN ANDINO (D.O.B. 10/30/71) of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for the 2010 incident, which sent a 24-year-old woman to the hospital with serious injuries to her face and the area under her left arm.

Assistant District Attorney Lauren Greene introduced evidence and testimony proving that the defendant and victim lived on McGreevey Way during the winter of 2010 and had an earlier conflict over a parking space. In that incident, testimony established, the victim had shoveled out her borrowed car after a snowstorm, left for a period of time, and came back to find two children’s play tables filling the spot. She moved the tables and parked again in the space she had shoveled out.

Testimony indicated that Andino became very angry over this, threatening to slash the car’s tires if the woman didn’t move the car. The street had public parking and no reserved spaces.  Nonetheless, the victim defused the conflict by moving the car.

On Jan. 11, 2010, testimony established, the victim heard her apartment buzzer ring, accompanied by loud banging on her door and yelling from the street. It was Andino again, the evidence showed, summoning her outside.

The victim went downstairs, where it became clear that Andino wanted to fight. The two women became engaged in a physical altercation that went on until Andino was on the ground. At that point, the victim was struck in the shoulder with a metal implement, causing an injury about two inches deep. Prosecutors alleged it was a screwdriver wielded by Andino’s daughter; jurors acquitted that 17-year-old defendant of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Evidence and testimony demonstrated that Andino got up from the ground and produced a knife, which she used to slash at the victim’s face. As blood poured into her eye, the victim began to back away from Andino.

Greene proved that Andino continued toward the victim, slashing at her with a kitchen knife and cutting open a long slice beneath her left arm. The laceration was so deep that the victim testified she saw white tissue coming out of the wound. A friend rushed the woman back into the house, from where she was later transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Responding Boston Police obtained witness statements that Andino had tossed the knife into a nearby sewer grate. They were able to locate that grate and recover the knife, which when tested had blood containing the victim’s DNA.

Michael Coffey was the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Andino was represented by attorney Craig Collins and her daughter by attorney Arthur Kelly. Judge Regina Quinlan ordered Andino taken into custody pending sentencing in courtroom 806 on May 9.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.