Lindenhurst Man Indicted for Allegedly Stabbing Central Islip Resident in February Attack
Tesfa Tucker, 42, allegedly sliced off two fingers and fractured a man's skull in a Lindenhurst apartment complex attack, prosecutors say.
A 42-year-old Lindenhurst man has been indicted on attempted murder charges after prosecutors say he attacked a 27-year-old Central Islip man with a large knife at the Putnam Gardens apartment complex, leaving the victim with skull fractures, severed fingers, and lacerations severe enough that District Attorney Ray Tierney described him as "in a pool of blood fighting for his life."
Tesfa Tucker was arraigned March 3 before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice John Collins on charges of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, two counts of Assault in the First Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree. Justice Collins ordered Tucker remanded, and he remains held without bail pending further proceedings.
According to prosecutors, the attack unfolded at approximately 5:30 p.m. on February 17 at Putnam Gardens, 930 North Putnam Ave. in Lindenhurst. Tucker allegedly struck the victim multiple times in the head and body with a large knife fitted with a metal knuckle handle. Two witnesses corroborated the assault: one heard Tucker yelling at the victim during the attack, while another saw Tucker striking the victim repeatedly in the head. The victim suffered multiple skull fractures, lacerations to his head and neck, and two severed fingers before being rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, where he survived.
Following the attack, police searched Tucker's apartment and recovered the large knife and metal knuckles, both stained with blood.
"The defendant's alleged anger and lack of self-control left the victim in a pool of blood fighting for his life," Tierney said in a statement announcing the indictment.
Tucker's attorney, William Sammis, indicated he is pursuing a competency evaluation before the case proceeds further. "I've applied for him to be examined by a couple of doctors to see if he's fit to stand trial," Sammis told Patch. Tucker is due back in court on April 16. If convicted on the top count, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
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