An Auburn man convicted in a brutal 2022 killing will spend decades behind bars after a Cayuga County judge handed down a lengthy prison sentence this week.
Daniel Nachtsheim was sentenced April 23 in Cayuga County Court to 22 years to life in state prison following his conviction last month for second-degree murder in the death of 57-year-old Michael Dennison.
Prosecutors had sought a maximum sentence of 25 years to life, while defense attorneys argued for 15 years to life. Judge Thomas Leone ultimately imposed the lesser of the two ranges after presiding over the case and trial.
Nachtsheim was found guilty after a bench trial in March, having waived his right to a jury trial. The court determined he intentionally caused Dennison’s death inside a Grant Avenue home in Auburn, inflicting blunt force trauma and stabbing him multiple times with a pair of scissors.
The case also centered heavily on Nachtsheim’s mental health. His attorney previously argued he should be found not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect, but Leone rejected that defense after reviewing testimony, including expert psychiatric evaluations.
Court records show Nachtsheim was deemed unfit to proceed in 2023 and was placed in a psychiatric facility. A reevaluation the following year found him competent to stand trial, allowing the case to move forward.
Nachtsheim was originally arrested in August 2022 following the killing. With sentencing now complete, the case closes nearly four years after it began.
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