Ex-Sing Sing inmate is sentenced to 20 years in prison for fatal knife attack in 1995

Smith, known as Kaseem, was charged with first-degree murder last year along with Son-Allah because he had previously been convicted of murder. But on the eve of the trial, Smith agreed to cooperate and pleaded guilty to that charge and second-degree manslaughter, with the promise that if he testified truthfully, the murder charge would be dismissed and he would be sentenced to only three to six years in prison prison, a deal that Son-Allah’s trial attorney denounced to the jury.

Smith is awaiting sentencing.

New defense attorney Jasper Mills did not call for a specific sentence but said his client planned to appeal the sentence and was the only inmate who agreed to be interviewed by police immediately after the stabbing. Son-Allah had admitted to being involved in planning an attack on Jones, but identified another inmate as the stabber. This former prisoner was among those who testified against him.

Son-Allah lived in Albany before he was indicted last year. On Thursday, he apologized to Jones’ family and said he wished he had done more to prevent the attack.

Judge calls killing a “callous, cold-blooded attack”

Before sentencing, Fufidio denied a request from Mills to vacate the verdict. He described the killing as a “callous, cold-blooded attack” that Son-Allah “agreed to carry out with great enthusiasm,” but gave no indication as to why he spared Son-Allah the maximum sentence.