An argument on the morning of Sept. 28, 2012 between two friends ended with a man stabbed to death.
Jason E. Mehmel of Angelica was sentenced last month to 8 and a half years in prison and five years post-release supervision, 9 years after the crime was committed.
Mehmel was 33 when he killed Jason Cipriano and has been serving most of his sentence since he turned himself in hours after the stabbing.
The fact that it took nine years to sentence Mehmel is out of the ordinary, especially because there was no complicated forensic evidence or doubts about the person who committed the crime.
A series of events spanned over the nine years, drawing it out. Plea deals didn’t come together, mental competency issues took years to figure out, and trial dates went by with no trials happening as well as a mistrial due to no jurors.
Covid-19 drew it out even longer.
Mehmel finally pled guilty to first degree manslaughter in April of 2021 and was given an 8 and a half year sentence.
The New York State Commissioner of Corrections now needs to calculate how much time is left in Mehmel’s sentence, but his lawyer feels that he has paid his debt to society.
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