How Many Years Can You Get for First-Degree Assault in New York?
Five named agency records report first-degree-assault dispositions: Ivey received nine years in prison, and Henegan, DeCouite and Brown each received 10 years plus five years of post-release supervision. Whichard’s reported 10-year term follows both first- and second-degree-assault convictions without a count-by-count allocation. These are separate reported outcomes, not an observed citywide range or prediction. DeCouite’s source identifies Brownsville residence but does not establish the precise location of the assaults.
Quick Answer
- Named records: 5 reported dispositions, not 5 fully qualified completed city cases
- Separate terms: Ivey 9 years; Henegan, DeCouite and Brown 10 years plus 5 years’ supervision
- Multi-offense scope: Whichard 10 years reported; assault-count allocation unspecified
- City limit: DeCouite’s residence is not accepted as an offense point
- Classification: Class B violent felony; no numerical observed range asserted
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What Does First-Degree Assault Mean in New York?
New York Penal Law §120.10 defines several forms of first-degree assault. They include specified conduct involving intent to cause serious physical injury with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, intent to cause permanent disfigurement or disabling injury, grave-risk conduct under circumstances showing depraved indifference, and serious injury caused during certain felonies. The exact subsection depends on the proven facts.
Statutory Penalties
First-degree assault is a class B violent felony. For a first-time violent felony offender, New York Penal Law §70.02 generally provides a determinate prison term of 5 to 25 years for a class B violent felony. Prior convictions and other sentencing rules can change the applicable range. Current section 70.02 separately labels a future September 2027 version; it is not applied now or automatically to older judgments. Statutory exposure is separate from reported imposed outcomes.
Real New York First-Degree Assault Case Outcomes
| Case | Circumstances | Conviction | Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahlil Ivey | Coney Island attempted carjacking injured four people | First-degree assault, guilty plea | 9 years |
| Roland Henegan | Unprovoked stabbing at Jay Street subway station | First-degree assault, guilty plea | 10 years plus 5 years post-release supervision |
| Leonardo DeCouite | Child-assault conviction; offense point not established by release | First-degree assault, guilty plea | 10 years plus 5 years post-release supervision |
| Ricardo Brown | Shooting during the West Indian Day Parade in Crown Heights | First-degree assault, jury verdict | 10 years plus 5 years post-release supervision |
| John Whichard | Two Williamsburg store employees slashed | First- and second-degree assault, jury verdict | 10-year reported multi-count term; allocation unspecified |
Case 1: Kahlil Ivey
The June 12, 2023 release reports that day’s nine-year prison sentence after an April 3 first-degree-assault plea. It places the June 18, 2021 attempted carjacking near Surf Avenue/West 15th Street in Coney Island, not his Connecticut residence. Several injured people and a second attempted carjacking do not establish additional completed assault prosecutions. A supervision period is not specified in the release.
Case 2: Roland Henegan
The August 22, 2023 release reports that day’s 10 years in prison plus five years’ supervision after a July 26 first-degree-assault plea. The July 5, 2022 offense is described inside the Jay Street subway station in Downtown Brooklyn, distinct from his former Kingsborough shelter residence.
Case 3: Leonardo DeCouite
The May 23, 2017 release reports that day’s 10 years in prison plus five years’ supervision after a first-degree-assault plea earlier that month. It describes assaults between September 1, 2015 and March 4, 2016, but provides Brownsville residence rather than a specific offense address. That is not sufficient city-conduct qualification. The co-defendant’s second-degree-assault disposition is not another independent first-degree-assault prosecution.
Case 4: Ricardo Brown
The release with a March 6, 2025 header reports 10 years in prison plus five years’ supervision following a jury verdict the previous month. The URL/publication label is March 7, so it is not substituted for the release’s sentencing date wording. The September 4, 2023 shooting is described in front of 1187 Eastern Parkway, distinct from Bedford-Stuyvesant residence.
Case 5: John Whichard
The December 15, 2023 release reports that day’s 10-year term after an October 26 verdict for first- and second-degree assault, without allocation between counts. It places the February 12, 2020 event at the store at 4 Graham Avenue in Williamsburg. Rowlett’s petit-larceny outcome is not an additional assault conviction or independent prosecution. The August 31, 2026 order in appeal 2023-12380, indictment 723/2020 concerns a supplemental brief, transcripts and the respondent’s briefing deadline; it does not affirm, reverse or reduce the sentence on the merits.
Why Were the Sentences Different?
The reports do not establish why one court selected a different prison term. Prison, post-release supervision, multiple victims and other defendants are not combined into extra years or additional independent target-offense outcomes.
Methodology
All five relevant agency sentencing and incident passages and the matched Whichard procedural order were read September 28, 2026 UTC (September 29 in Istanbul). Focused court/name searches did not establish a matched later merits decision for the others; this is not exhaustive docket clearance. DeCouite’s offense point, independent municipal qualification, historical subsection/sentencing routes and complete later-outcome review remain open. No numerical observed range is asserted.
Sources
Disclaimer
General information only. Not legal advice. Sentencing depends on the conviction, criminal history, enhancements, plea terms, and facts of each case.