A stabbing defendant was sentenced to 12 months’ incarceration by DC Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean on July 18 after the victim recounted the long-term and physical emotional harm caused by the incident.
Oscar Cornejo, 19, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault knowingly while armed in connection to an April 11 stabbing on the 5100 block of Sheriff Road, NE.
According to court documents, Cornejo stabbed the victim in the back during a confrontation inside an apartment building, causing serious internal injuries, including lung damage, that required multiple surgeries.
The victim gave a statement during the hearing, saying he did not want to accuse anyone and emphasizing that he had no enemies. He described the aftermath of the attack, including medical complications from surgeries and related expenses.
“I wouldn’t want this to happen to anyone else,” he said.
The victim’s girlfriend also spoke, calling the incident traumatic and explaining how difficult it was to witness her partner go through the ordeal.
“Just with a little more time, he wouldn’t be here right now,” she said, testifying to how close the victim came to dying.
Prosecutors requested a sentence of 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, citing the extent of the injuries and the continued emotional and physical impact on the victim.
Cornejo’s defense attorney, Damon Catacalos, argued that the stabbing was the result of a “drug-fueled incident that happened in a drug-infused setting.” He said Cornejo had been using fentanyl and cocaine and barely remembered what happened. Catacalos also said the defendant and the victim knew each other and used drugs together. He asked the judge for a suspended sentence with drug treatment.
“I know I need help,” Cornejo told the court. “These three months that I have been in jail, my mind is clearer. What I did was bad, and I am very sorry.”
Judge McLean said she was “not comfortable giving a probationary sentence to someone who has caused such serious injuries to a member of the community.”
She sentenced Cornejo to 24 months under the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA), suspending all but 12 months and one day. He will also serve two years of supervised probation under the YRA, with a suspended sentence of three years’ supervised release.
The Youth Rehabilitation Act is a DC law designed to give individuals under the age of 25 a chance at rehabilitation. It allows judges to impose lighter sentences and seal records in certain cases, if the defendant fulfills the court’s conditions.
Judge McLean also ordered 90 hours of community service and required Cornejo to comply with a court-ordered intervention plan, which includes drug treatment and support programs.
No further court dates have been set.
