A Bronx woman says she vomited after learning the prison term in a plea deal for the man who stabbed her, according to WNBC-TV.
WNBC: Stabbed in front of her 3-year-old, phone and cash taken
WNBC-TV reported that Kaitlynn Berman said a former acquaintance, identified by the station as 23-year-old Christopher Joseph, pulled a knife and stabbed her more than 20 times in her Bronx apartment in front of her 3-year-old daughter after she tried to get him to leave. WNBC said Joseph also stole her cellphone and nearly $6,000 in cash. He was arrested the next day and charged with attempted murder, the station reported.
Reported plea deal and reaction
WNBC reported that Joseph accepted a plea deal for an eight-year prison sentence with five years of post-release supervision. The Western Journal’s write-up described the term as eight and a half years. Berman’s adviser, Bishop Boyde Singletary, told WNBC, “We are not satisfied. She is not satisfied, so overwhelmed that she threw up,” adding that she is dealing with lasting injuries and trauma. Victim advocate Buslim Maine told the station, “This young lady is falling out, she can’t take the trauma that she’s still going through right now.”
Her account of the attack to News12
In a prior interview with News12, Berman said she had been cat-sitting for a longtime friend when the friend’s partner arrived, acted strangely, and would not leave. She told the station he claimed he had permission to have intercourse with her; she said she refused. According to Berman’s account to News12, he later asked for juice, and when she turned, he began stabbing her. She said she was stabbed in the face, neck, back, and hands; she broke his first knife, after which he used one of her kitchen knives. Berman told News12 she pleaded for him to take what he wanted, but he said “it wasn’t about the money,” then kicked her in the back of the head and left with her phone and cash. She said she spent 48 days in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries.
What she says comes next
The Western Journal article said Berman planned to appeal the sentence and reach out to the Bronx District Attorney.
