FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 23, 2016
East New York Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison
For Fatally Stabbing Rival
Victim and Defendant Both Dated the Same Woman
Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson today announced that a 23-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years in prison following his manslaughter conviction for stabbing to death a 22-year-old man during an altercation stemming from the allegation that they were both dating the same woman. The defendant and the woman fled to Mexico after the stabbing.
District Attorney Thompson said, “A completely avoidable fight led to a tragic loss of life when this defendant chose to stab another man. He made a very poor choice and will now pay for it by spending years in prison.”
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Christian Morales, 23, of East New York, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today to 20 years in prison by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Neil Firetog following his conviction on June 2, 2016 of first-degree manslaughter after a jury trial.
The District Attorney said that, according to trial testimony, on June 18, 2014 at about 4 p.m., the victim, Carlos Santos, and two friends were on Liberty Avenue in East New York when Santos confronted the defendant, wanting to fight him; the defendant took out a knife and swung at Santos, hitting him in the right eye and continued to swing the knife while Santos tried to protect his face, hitting him in the arms and hands. Santos ran away into a nearby store and the defendant ran in after him, stabbing him once in the right chest. Santos’ friends were able to get the defendant off of him and the defendant and his girlfriend walked away. Santos was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
The defendant and his girlfriend fled to Mexico. He was arrested in Mexico and extradited following an investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Sara Kurtzberg of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Kenneth Taub, Chief.
#