Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that a 50-year-old Islandia man was found guilty after a bench trial of burglary, assault, and other related charges, for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his children, with a machete after illegally entering her home.
The District Attorney’s Office is not naming the defendant in order to protect the identity of the victim.
“No one should ever feel unsafe in their own home. This courageous woman demonstrated incredible bravery during this incident, doing everything she could to protect herself and her children,” said District Attorney Tierney. “We hope this conviction provides her with some measure of comfort knowing the defendant will be in prison while her children can grow up in peace.”
The evidence at trial established that on March 25, 2022, the victim returned home from work and noticed that the gate to her backyard was open although she normally kept it closed. She then saw the defendant, her ex-boyfriend and the father of her children, standing outside of her house holding a crowbar and a hunting knife. The defendant immediately began to bang on the victim’s house window with the crowbar, but the victim called 911 and began screaming, causing the defendant to flee.
A few weeks later, on the evening of April 8, 2022, an order of protection was in place that directed the defendant to stay away from the victim and their children. The victim arrived home after working a twelve-hour shift and took her five- and six-year-old children into the house. She then returned outside to close a car door that was left open. When the victim went back outside, she screamed when she saw the defendant standing by the trunk of her car wearing a hooded sweatshirt, a scarf tied around the lower part of his face, and black gloves. The defendant pulled a machete out of a case that was attached to his pants and told the victim to shut up, get the kids, and give him the keys to her car. The defendant then entered the house and the victim immediately tried to get the children away from the defendant and out of the house.
At that moment, the victim’s upstairs neighbor came outside after hearing the victim’s screams and told his wife to call 911. The defendant chased both the victim and the neighbor with the machete. The victim attempted to get inside her house and lock the door behind her, but she fell and the defendant charged her. As the two struggled to control the machete, the victim grabbed it to prevent the defendant from slashing her with it, causing the palms of her hands to sustain deep lacerations.
The neighbor told the defendant that the police were on their way, at which point, he pointed the machete at the victim and told her that she would “regret this” before fleeing the scene. When police arrived, they utilized K9 Brick to track the defendant, locating him a few blocks away crouched behind a truck. When the defendant saw the police officer and K9 Brick, he jumped over a fence and continued to flee. Police pursued the defendant and warned him that K9 Brick would bite the defendant if he didn’t stop and show his hands. K9 Brick was then deployed, and he apprehended the defendant.
On March 6, 2024, the defendant was convicted of the following charges after a bench trial heard before Acting County Court Judge Richard T. Dunne:
- Two counts of Burglary in the First Degree, Class B violent felonies;
- One count of Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony;
- One count of Aggravated Criminal Contempt, a Class D felony;
- One count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a Class D felony;
- One count of Criminal Contempt in the First Degree, a Class E felony;
- Five counts of Criminal Contempt in the Second Degree, Class A misdemeanors;
- Two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Class A misdemeanors; and
- One count of Menacing in the Second Degree, a Class A misdemeanor.
The defendant is due back in court for sentencing on April 18, 2024, and faces up to 25 years in prison. He is being represented by Lane Bubka, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Michelle Chiuchiolo and Kirsten Reilly of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective James Castaldo of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fourth Squad.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.
