Saratoga County District Attorney Karen A. Heggen announces today that Justice D. Locke (DOB 12/11/2001) was sentenced by Saratoga County Court Judge James A. Murphy, III to 16 years in State Prison to be followed by 5 years of post-release supervision for his prior guilty plea to Assault in the First Degree, in violation of New York State Penal Law Section 120.10(1), a “Class B” violent felony. Defendant Locke admitted to entering the apartment of a Corinth man in the late hours of October 26, 2021, and assaulting the man with a tomahawk style axe, causing serious physical injury to the victim.
On the morning of October 27, 2021, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office was called to an apartment located at 16 Mallery Street in the Village of Corinth in response to a 911 call from a cab driver. The driver discovered a male victim with serious physical injuries and in need of immediate medical intervention. The man was treated by EMTs from Jessup’s Landing EMS and airlifted to Albany Medical Center for critical emergency care.
A subsequent investigation by Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office Investigators Jeff Bouyea and Steven Brown pointed towards a person of interest who had entered the Cumberland Farms store in the Village of Corinth the night before. That individual was in a highly agitated state and had signs of blood on his hands. Through further investigation this person was identified as Justice D. Locke, a resident of the Town of Indian Lake, NY.
Sheriff’s Investigators were able to locate Mr. Locke in the Town of Indian Lake and he was voluntarily taken to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office in Milton, NY, for an interview. Subsequently, Defendant Locke admitted to assaulting the victim with a tomahawk style axe at the residence in the Village of Corinth. Investigators further corroborated the admission of the Defendant by locating the weapon used in the assault and connecting the Defendant to the scene of the crime through analysis of forensic evidence collected there.
District Attorney Heggen states: “This was a bold and purposeful attack which will affect the victim in this case for the rest of his life. However, the significant and just sentence in this case will hopefully bring some satisfaction and closure to the victim, his family, and the community.”