Then, just after their first anniversary, Ignacio Espinal, 55, was charged with murdering his 46-year-old wife inside their Somerville home, authorities announced Wednesday, Aug. 12.
On Thursday, Aug. 6, at 7:26 p.m., Somerville police responded to a 911 call on Brookside Avenue and found Alyne with multiple lacerations to her chest, neck and thigh, Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald, Chief of County Detectives Meredith McKay and Somerville Police Chief Dennis Manning said.
An investigation determined Ignacio was the perpetrator, authorities said. He was arrested in West New York and charged with first-degree murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and hindering, authorities said.
Alyne, who went by Alyne Silva on Facebook, appeared to have married Ignacio in summer 2025, according to photos she shared publicly.
Her posts showed the couple at the Jersey Shore, dining at restaurants and celebrating together. In other photos, Alyne wore a Brazil jersey while cheering on the country's national soccer team during the World Cup with Ignacio and others. Much of what she posted was in Portuguese. Her final post was shared on Tuesday, Aug. 4, two days before she was killed. The photo showed her in a t-shirt with the colors of the Brazilian flag, and read:
“Fall in love with the process of becoming the best version of yourself.”
A GoFundMe was launched in the wake of Alyne's death for her son, Leo.
"Alyne Silva was a beautiful mother who worked alongside her son, Leo, 5+ years at Red Lobster and was family to us all," organizer Kramer Herr writes. "Her warmth and smile is imprinted on all of us, eternally. As coworkers, friends, and even just as Somerset county residents, we are shaken to the core that something like this could happen right in Somerville, NJ."
In the days following her death, friends and relatives filled Facebook with tributes remembering Alyne as a joyful woman, mother and grandmother.
Her sister, Jussara Christina, wrote: “We are in shock, devastated, heartbroken.”
She remembered Alyne as beautiful, strong and hardworking and said her life had been taken far too soon.
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