Binghamton Man Found Guilty For 2010 Central Islip Stabbing: DA

LONG ISLAND, NY - A Binghamton man was convicted on Friday for the stabbing another man to death in his Central Islip home in 2010, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini.

Christopher James, 26, was convicted by a jury of second degree murder for killing 38-year-old Kevin Pierson, of Central Islip, on February 10, 2010, the DA said.

James faces a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei on November 27.

In February 2010, James stabbed Pierson nine times, causing his death, in Pierson’s apartment on Maplewing Drive, the DA said. Pierson’s body was found in his bedroom by police on February 12.

Cell phone data revealed that James and Pierson were both in the apartment on the day of the murder, according to the DA. The records also revealed that James and Pierson had exchanged text messages planning to meet and had spoken on the phone earlier that day, the DA said.

In 2013, James was convicted of an unrelated crime in Brooklyn and was required to provide a DNA sample which detectives used to determine that James’ DNA matched biological evidence recovered from the crime scene, Sini said.

James’ DNA was found on the collar and cuffs of a jacket and on a t-shirt recovered from the Pierson's apartment as well as on a knife sheath in the apartment believed to have been on the murder weapon, the DA said.

The murder weapon was not recovered.

In 2016, detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad traveled to Binghamton to arrest James.

At the time of his arrest, James told the detectives, “How can I be charged with murder when no weapon was recovered?”

The fact that the murder weapon had not been recovered had not been publicly disclosed, according to Sini.

Additional evidence included a sock-clad foot impression in blood on the floor of the apartment, which was found to have matched James’ footprint, according to a forensic footwear impression expert.

The expert also testified during trial that the impression had to have been made after the murder and could therefore not belong to the Pierson.

“As the defendant told the jury himself, ‘Evil lives,’ but in Mr. James’ case, it will now hopefully spend its life in prison,” Sini said. “Despite his antics during this trial, the jury saw the truth – that he stabbed Kevin Pierson to death in Kevin’s home eight years ago.”

The trial began on October 15. The jury deliberated for two hours before returning a verdict of guilty.

Image via Shutterstock