Brooklyn teenager to get up to three years in state prison for assault

By Jason Emerson

Editor

Donald Linderfils, aka “Prince,” 19, of Brooklyn, the man arrested for allegedly stabbing two people last February in Jailhouse Alley in Cazenovia has plead guilty to the top charge of assault in the second degree and will be sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison, according to the Madison County District Attorney’s office.

Jury selection for Linderfils trial started today, Jan. 17, with the trial itself to start tomorrow — Linderfils was facing two counts of assault in the second degree, a class D felony, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, a class A misdemeanor — when the defendant suddenly agreed to plead guilty.

“Motions, hearings were scheduled and completed and the case was scheduled for trial to begin today — jury selection began today with the opening tomorrow. In the interim, there have been plea negotiations, and the DA’s office position, my position, was that [Linderfils] needed to plead guilty as charged to the top count of assault in the second degree,” Madison County District Attorney Bill Gabor told the Cazenovia Republican. “I recommended two years in state prison with two years’ post release supervision.”

Gabor said that he “strenuously, strenuously opposed” granting youthful offender status to Linderfils, a decision which was at the discretion of the judge — in this case Madison County Court Judge Patrick O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan decided that if Linderfils pleaded guilty to the top charge he would grant him youthful offender status, which both seals the criminal records of the case and changes the sentencing parameters from a determinate sentence, as recommended by the DA, to an indeterminate sentence, Gabor said.

“The judge always thought that state prison was appropriate [in this case] and he committed to 1 to 3 years in state prison,” Gabor said. “Although that offer had been discussed for some time, it was not until the eve of the trial this morning that [Linderfils] actually plead guilty.”

O’Sullivan’s written decision did not explain why he offered youthful offender status to Linderfils, Gabor said.

Linderfils is scheduled to be sentenced and taken into custody at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, in Madison County Court. He is currently free on bail consisting of a $15,000 bond, Gabor said.

Cazenovia Police Chief Michael Hayes commended both his own officers and the district attorney’s office for the “successful conclusion to a case where we basically had our victims lying to us and had a nickname to work off.”

Hayes said that while any successful conclusion to a case is good one, he felt the granting of youthful offender status and the 1-to-3-years’ indeterminate sentence were “a slap on the wrist” based on the circumstances of the case. “Knowing the case, and the strength of the case, I really feel had we gone to trial [Linderfils] would have been convicted of a much higher charge – obviously, that’s why he pleaded – and a stiffer sentence.”

Linderfils was indicted by a Madison County Grand Jury last April and charged with stabbing two Cazenovia College students with a dangerous instrument causing physical injury. The incident occurred on Feb. 7 in Jailhouse Alley in the village in what two independent law enforcement sources have said was a drug deal gone bad.

According to sources, the two victims, both Cazenovia College students, accompanied a third Cazenovia College student to the alley, where he was intending to sell marijuana to Linderfils. A fight broke out and Linderfils stabbed the two students and ran away. The two students, whose names were not released by police, were treated at area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries and released.

“Luckily, [Linderfils’] aim was not a centimeter more to the left or right, or we might be dealing with completely different issue,” Hayes said.

Cazenovia police said they had a suspect in the case less than a week after it occurred. The suspect was not arrested at the time because the district attorney was preparing for a grand jury presentation to seek an indictment on the case, Hayes said.

Linderfils was indicted by a Madison County grand jury on two counts of assault in the second degree, a class D felony, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, a class A misdemeanor, on April 28 and a warrant for his arrest issued the same day. Cazenovia police officers arrested Linderfils on June 3 in New York City.