A two-year-old girl fighting for her life in a Rhode Island hospital has exposed a disturbing pattern: the man accused of stabbing her in the face was previously found incompetent to stand trial for attacking two other children over twenty years ago.
Brutal Attack at Bus Stop
Nelson Blanco, 46, allegedly stabbed the toddler and her mother at a Providence bus stop Wednesday afternoon near Broad and Public streets. The child sat in her stroller when the stranger approached without warning. Police say the mother crossed the street to escape, but Blanco followed and attacked the girl with a knife. The toddler remains hospitalized in critical condition, while her mother suffered a shoulder wound and has been released from treatment.
Officers found Blanco hiding in a nearby home’s basement with the knife concealed in a panel box. During questioning, he admitted to the stabbings and made chilling statements about his intentions. According to police reports, Blanco told detectives he only stopped because he was on a main street. He allegedly said if the attack had occurred on a side street, he would have killed both victims.
Nelson Blanco’s criminal history:
2003: stabbed two 7-year old boys
2006: ruled incompetent for trial
2016: assault, disorderly conduct
2017: felony motor vehicle theft
2024: felony domestic violence
Decades-Long Pattern Ignored
Two men, Andy Lopez and Dave Belony, immediately recognized Blanco’s booking photo on social media. They were six and seven years old when Blanco stabbed them while they played in a backyard on September 27, 2003. Belony recalled Blanco emerging from a shed with a blank expression before charging at the children. Lopez was stabbed twice in the eye and temporarily blinded, while Belony curled into a defensive position as Blanco attacked him repeatedly.
Court records show Blanco faced felony assault charges from that 2003 incident but was repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial from September 2004 through March 2006. The case remains listed as under review more than two decades later. Most recently, a judge accepted a doctor’s recommendation in July allowing Blanco to remain in outpatient treatment for a domestic violence case, deeming him unlikely to endanger the community.
Questions About Justice System Failures
Blanco now faces six charges including two counts of assault with intent to commit murder, felony assault, breaking and entering, and weapons violations. He is being held without bail pending a competency hearing scheduled for later this month. The attack has renewed scrutiny of how the justice system handles violent offenders deemed incompetent to stand trial, particularly when they remain in communities with minimal oversight. Lopez and Belony spent three months recovering from their injuries in 2003 and say the trauma has followed them into adulthood.
This lowlife needs to never see the light of day again. If he’s released, he WILL do it again.
Incompetent for trial, yet competent to violently hurt people? Same as the lady who murdered her 3 children. If their mental issues are an issue for safety, lock them up!
If he is mentally unstable! He should be confined into special mental facility where he can be in isolation cell incarcerated until he recovers or dies