Syracuse, NY - A town of Onondaga teenager was sentenced today to five years in state prison for a "senseless" stabbing that almost claimed the life of another youth who had given him a ride home from a party in April. "I have no idea why you did what you did," Onondaga County Judge William Walsh said as Nykeem Sutton...
Syracuse, NY - A town of Onondaga teenager was sentenced today to five years in state prison for a "senseless" stabbing that almost claimed the life of another youth who had given him a ride home from a party in April.
"I have no idea why you did what you did," Onondaga County Judge William Walsh said as Nykeem Sutton stood before him. "It was absolutely senseless. You could've taken that young man's life. If you did, you'd be going away for ever."
Sutton, who just turned 17 Tuesday, of 4372 W. Seneca Turnpike, had nothing to say in court today. He pleaded guilty May 26 to first-degree assault in the April 17 attack on Liam Halligan.
Halligan, 19, of Hillcrest Road, was stabbed six times in the throat, neck and head as he sat in the driver's seat of a car in the driveway of a home on Frank Gay Road in Marcellus. He also suffered serious defensive injuries to his hands.
View full sizeNykeem Sutton, 17, is escorted into Judge William Walsh's courtroom for his sentencing. Sutton received a five-year state prison sentence and five years of post-release supervision for stabbing a Syracuse man who gave him a ride home from a party in April.Assistant District Attorney Michael Kasmarek said Halligan had given Sutton and Sutton's friend a ride home from a party in Skaneateles. The prosecutor said Halligan's interest in a young woman who had previously been Sutton's girlfriend was apparently behind the attack although Sutton gave no indication he was angry with Halligan before suddenly attacking him from behind in the car.
Walsh noted the attack nearly cost Halligan his life.
The victim and his parents were in court today for Sutton's sentencing but did not address the court.
Kasmarek said Halligan and his parents were not looking at the state prison sentence as retribution for what happened. But they hoped it would help Sutton understand there are consequences to his conduct and help provide an impetus to turn his life around, the prosecutor said.
Outside court, the Halligans said the incident has been difficult for both families.
"As we chased the ambulance we were thinking we might not have a son by the time we get to the emergency room," Robert Halligan said of what was going though his mind the night of the assault.
"This was far from being nutty teen stuff," he said.
But he said the family truly hoped having Sutton sent to state prison - he called it "bad guy school" - wouldn't prevent the teenager from getting his life back on track.
Liam is still battling to recover from the hand injuries he suffered in the attack, his father said.
Just yesterday, nine weeks since the assault, Liam was able to touch his thumb to his pinkie finger on his left hand for the first time, the elder Halligan noted. His son's left-hand strength is also far below that of his right hand as a result of the attack, the father said, noting it may be a full year before his son regains full use of his hands if ever.
He said the past nine weeks had been "pain and torture" for his wife, Linda.
She said she and her husband had been married 16 years before Liam came into their lives and the thought of losing him was a sobering one. This years' Mother's Day and Father's Day had much greater meaning for them as parents given what happened to him in April, she noted.
But she also said she couldn't help but think about what Sutton's father was going through on Father's Day as his son faced state prison.
Sutton could have faced up to 25 years in state prison for the first-degree assault conviction. But Kasmarek said he agreed to the plea deal, in part, to ensure that Sutton did not receive youthful offender treatment.
That would have removed the felony conviction from his record and sealed the case file.