Saratoga County District Attorney Karen A. Heggen announced today, August 2, 2019, that Cendno Rahaman (DOB 10/15/1989) was sentenced to forty (40) years in State Prison following his June 7, 2019 conviction.
A Saratoga County jury had convicted Rahaman of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a Class B Violent Felony in violation of New York State Penal Sections 110.00 and 125.25, three counts of Attempted Assault in the First Degree, all Class C Violent Felonies in violation of New York State Penal Sections 110.00 and 120.10, one count of Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D Violent Felony in violation of New York State Penal Law Section 120.05, and one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence, a Class E Felony in violation of New York State Penal Law Section 215.40.
Saratoga County Court Judge James A. Murphy, III sentenced the Defendant to a cumulative forty years determinate in State Prison to be followed by five (5) years of Post Release Supervision. Judge Murphy specifically sentenced Rahaman to the maximum twenty-five (25) years determinate on the Attempted Murder charge, fifteen (15) years determinate on one of the Attempted Assault in the First Degree charges, eight (8) years determinate on one of the Attempted Assault in the First Degree charges, seven (7) years determinate on the remaining Attempted Assault in the First Degree charge, seven (7) years determinate on the Assault in the Second Degree charge, and one-and-a-third-to-four (1 1/3-4) years on the Tampering with Physical Evidence charge.
Judge Murphy ordered that each of the three sentences for the three victims run consecutively to one another and also issued three Orders of Protection which will not expire until August 2067.
Prior to sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Charles O. Bucca drew the Court’s attention to the horrific nature of the attack and read into the record a statement from one of the victims who indicated that he still had “nightmares” and “was done bargaining with the Defendant” after he had repeatedly “bargained for his life” on the night of the attack
Judge Murphy stated that the Defendant’s version of events was “belied by the verdict of the jury” and that the Defendant’s excuses pertaining to alcohol “absolutely came up short.” Judge Murphy also noted that “although the victims’ physical scars may heal, the emotional scars will last them the rest of their life.”
Rahaman’s conviction stems from a late night incident in the City of Saratoga Springs on August 13, 2018. Rahaman had pulled a knife from his pocket during a verbal altercation with three victims and proceeded to chase all of them up Caroline Street. Rahaman swung his knife at the head of one male victim, wheeled around and swung his knife at the head of another female victim while she was trapped in a small entryway, and subsequently chased the third victim up onto Broadway where he proceeded to stab the victim repeatedly in the face and head. The victim attempted to deflect Rahaman’s blows and suffered a deep defensive wound to his hand. Rahaman then slashed the victim’s temporal artery causing the victim to bleed profusely.
The attack only stopped when another victim rushed toward Rahaman and struck him with a stray bottle from the street. Rahaman then fled the scene, threw the knife down a recessed stairway, and was quickly identified by law enforcement thanks to several nearby eyewitnesses. All three victims were met by Emergency Medical Services and one was transported to Albany Medical Center due to the seriousness of his injuries.
District Attorney Karen Heggen noted, “The victims in this case were enjoying the numerous venues Saratoga Springs has to offer people on a summer evening last year. That changed dramatically because of the actions of defendant Rahaman. The quick response of emergency medical services, law enforcement and efforts of several good Samaritans resulted the defendant being held responsible for his actions. We believe the sentence imposed today by the Court reflects the significant nature of the crimes committed”.
Assistant District Charles O. Bucca prosecuted the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Joseph A. Frandino. ADA Bucca praised the efforts of the Saratoga Springs Police Department for their thorough and complete investigation of the matter. Bucca praised law enforcement’s quick response to the crime scene and the locating of all three victims, the defendant, and the knife within an incredibly short timeframe. This led to their preservation of the crime scene and their subsequently completed crime scene diagrams and photographs that assisted the witnesses in conveying to the jury the violent nature of the attack and location of each witnesses when the crime was committed.