These are the grapes of wrath.
Police say an up-and-coming sommelier who previously worked at two well-known Manhattan restaurants is accused of violently stabbing his wife at their home, with the wife telling them “my husband was trying to kill me.”
According to a criminal complaint, Aaron Von Locke, 55, the former wine director at Michelin-star Mediterranean restaurant Benno on the Upper East Side, is accused of stabbing his wife multiple times with a knife in their Murray Hill apartment on May 5.
The terrified wife, whose identity has not been released, suffered cuts to her hands and injuries to her legs, according to the complaint.
Von Locke, sporting a smart suit and sideburns, appeared at a hearing Wednesday in Manhattan Criminal Court, where Judge Marva Brown upheld a temporary protective order against Von Locke’s wife.
The wine connoisseur remained silent throughout the brief hearing, staring straight ahead with a blank expression, but flashed a slight smile as he left court.
In 2019, Von Locke worked as wine director at Benno at the Evelyn Hotel on East 27th Street and Fifth Avenue, which had earned a coveted Michelin star before it closed during the pandemic. Business Insider.
He also Wine Spectator Magazine “Best of Excellence Award” For working as a sommelier at Telepan, a new American restaurant on the Upper West Side (now closed) in 2007.
His current LinkedIn page lists him as working for the Patina Restaurant Group, but he did not immediately return a call from The Washington Post.
According to court records, Von Locke is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to inflict serious injury.
After the attack, the wife reportedly told police: “My husband tried to kill me.”
He pleaded not guilty at his trial on May 6th.
Prosecutors had requested bail at the time, but Van Rock was released on his own recognizance and referred to an alternative court program.
His lawyer, Bruce Yurman, declined to comment.
Van Rock is due to appear in court again on September 30th.
