A Bridgeport man who tried to flee the country finally faced a judge in a bizarre, attempted murder plot that targeted his ex-wife just before Christmas. Joao Borges-DeQueiroz, 33, a Brazilian national, is accused of hiding in the trunk of her car in the East End in the early hours of Dec. 23.

"He was lying in wait," stated Detective Jeffrey Holtz. "Then she left her residence to go to work and got in the car, he pushed down the rear seat and fired the gun at her. By the grace of God, the bullet just missed her and went through the windshield."

But Borges-DeQueiroz wasn't done, said Holtz.

"He actually started attacking her inside the vehicle. Very brave woman. She fought him off and ran to the porch of a house for safety," Holtz told News 12.

Police responded, but Borges-DeQueiroz was already gone, Holtz said. He explained patrol officers and detectives from the Domestic Violence Unit quickly processed the car and collected video, knowing time was critical.

"It was an excellent job," Holtz stated. "They put together an arrest warrant and got that into the national database in case he attempted to flee the country—either by plane or by car. And that's exactly what happened."

Borges-DeQueiroz drove to Vermont where he attempted to cross into Canada without any legal documentation, according to Holtz.

"He was stopped by Canadian immigration officials at the border. They then contacted U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, and they figured out who he was. They ran him in the national database, and the Bridgeport warrant for attempted murder and other serious charges came up, so he was taken into custody," explained Holtz.

Since then, Borges-Queiroz has been held at Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island because he also faces a federal charge of possessing a firearm as a non-citizen. On Wednesday, seven weeks after his capture, he was brought to Bridgeport and arraigned on ten charges: attempted murder, attempted first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping with a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, first-degree unlawful restraint, third-degree assault, stalking, illegal discharge of a firearm and second-degree breach of peace. The judge set his bond in this case at $2 million.

"This was a very traumatic incident. It was a very dangerous incident, but she was heroic," Holtz said of the victim. "We feel that our case is a very solid case, and we're hoping for a conviction, a long prison sentence. Any kind of deportation action would be taken by the federal government."