Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Marcin Pieciak was indicted for murder and criminal possession of a weapon for the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend, Sarah McNally, at a Maspeth tavern in March. McNally was working as a bartender when Pieciak allegedly stabbed her and then slit his own throat.

District Attorney Katz said: “The defendant is accused of cruelly and brazenly taking the life of someone he purported to care for and doing so in front of her colleagues and bar patrons. We are grateful to the grand jury for returning these serious charges and we will work to seek justice for Sarah McNally.”

Pieciak, 36, of 76th Street in Glendale, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant remanded the defendant and ordered him to return to court on June 18.

According to the charges:

• On March 30, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Pieciak arrived at the Ceili House Bar, located at 69-56 Grand Avenue in Maspeth where McNally, 41, was working as a bartender.

• Pieciak was seen on video footage walking behind the bar in the bartender area toward McNally. The defendant stabbed McNally 19 times in the neck, back and chest causing significant wounds and bleeding.

• Pieciak then cut his own throat several times and tried to leave the bar. A bar patron tried to detain Pieciak until police arrived.

• Pieciak came out of the bar brandishing two knives at police, who were able to safely disarm him and recover the knives.

• The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment of her extensive wounds which included damage to her carotid artery and a severed spine. She was pronounced dead due to her injuries.

Assistant District Attorney Gabriel J. Reale of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Veronika Podoprigora under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys John Kosinski, Bureau Chief, and Karen Ross, Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.