Nassau DA: Uniondale Man Sentenced to 32 Years in Prison for 2015 Attempted Murder
Mineola, NY - Sept. 6, 2018 - Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced that a Uniondale man was sentenced yesterday to 32 years in prison for attempting to murder his wife in October 2015.
Michael Taylor, 52, was convicted on April 24 by a jury in front of Acting Supreme Court Justice Howard Sturim:
- Attempted Murder in the 2nd Degree (a B violent felony)
- Two counts of Attempted Assault in the 1st Degree (a C violent felony)
- Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree (a D felony)
- Two counts of Aggravated Criminal Contempt (a D felony)
- Endangering the Welfare of a Child (an A misdemeanor)
“This cowardly defendant hid from police behind a basement wall after brutally attacking and stabbing his then-wife,” DA Singas said. “This was an unusually violent attack and thanks to the courageous actions of her daughter, the victim is alive today and on the road to recovery. Today’s sentence is a reminder that Nassau County law enforcement is doing everything in our power to hold abusers accountable.”
DA Singas said that at approximately 12:25 a.m. on October 3, 2015, the defendant attacked the 53-year old victim, his then wife. When he swung a metal pole at the woman’s head, the victim put her hands up to defend herself and her fingers were crushed, resulting in multiple surgeries. The defendant then grabbed a meat cleaver and stabbed her head and back.
The victim fled with the aid of her daughter, and the daughter called 911. The Nassau County Police Department arrived and the defendant fled to the basement. Responding officers attempted to contact the defendant for two hours and the NCPD Bureau of Special Operations unit found the defendant hiding in a basement wall space and placed him under arrest. The defendant told responding officers that he slept in the wall. The victim was treated at a nearby hospital for her injuries.
The defendant was acquitted of one count of Attempted Assault in the 1st Degree and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree.
Deputy Bureau Chief of DA Singas’ Major Offense Bureau Jared Rosenblatt and Assistant District Attorney Paul Van Wie of DA Singas’ Special Victims Bureau are prosecuting the case. Taylor is represented by Dana Grossblatt, Esq.