Tuesday, January 11, 2005

D.A. BROWN: QUEENS MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON FOR 2001 SLAYING OF WOMAN

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced that a Queens man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the fatal 2001 Christmas morning stabbing of a 32-year-old woman inside her Jamaica, Queens residence and the stabbing of her 20 year old brother, who survived the attack.

District Attorney Brown said,“The defendant committed a lethal and violent crime in which he took a life, caused serious injury to another, and traumatized his own toddler son who stood by helpless as the stabbing occurred. The sentence imposed is more than warranted.”

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Michael Brown, 45, of 107-49 139th Avenue, Springfield Gardens, Queens, a who had been employed as a corrections officer in Virginia. The defendant pled guilty on October 21, 2004 to Manslaughter in the First Degree and Assault in the First Degree before Queens Supreme Court Justice Robert J. Hanophy who imposed today’s determinate sentence of 25 years in prison on each crime.

District Attorney Brown said that on December 25, 2001 inside 219-28 141st Avenue the defendant forcibly entered the residence of the victim, Sheila Bradley, 32, the mother of the couple’s then two-year-old son, Shamir, and stabbed her numerous times, mortally wounding her. The defendant then fought with the victim’s brother David Bradley, stabbing him numerous times and inflicting serious physical injuries.

The District Attorney said that the defendant was arrested inside the home while holding his son as a hostage.

Assistant District Attorney Debra Lynn Pomodore of the District Attorney's Homicide Trials Bureau prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Jack Warsawsky, Deputy Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.