'Guilty': Jury Votes To Convict Yonkers Man In Fatal Stabbing

YONKERS, NY — A jury found a Yonkers man guilty in the fatal stabbing of a man he was doing drugs with following an argument.

After a three-week long trial, a jury found Yonkers resident Byron Stinson guilty of the 2019 stabbing death, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced on Wednesday.

Stinson was found guilty of manslaughter in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. Both counts are felonies. Stinson now faces a sentence ranging from a minimum of 3 to 6 years to a maximum of 7 to 15 years in prison.

“A life was needlessly lost the night of Byron Stinson’s callous attack,” Rocah said in statement announcing the verdict. “This verdict underscores the importance of holding violent criminals accountable and our commitment to getting justice for any family who has ever had to unnecessarily mourn the loss of a loved one.”

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On April 24, 2019, shortly after 4 a.m., Stinson and Michael Federico were sitting in a parked car on Whetstone Avenue in Yonkers using narcotics. An argument broke out and Stinson stabbed Federico in the neck with a kitchen knife. Stinson fled the scene and Federico got out of the car, but soon collapsed on the sidewalk.

Federico was later pronounced dead at the scene.

At the time of the stabbing Federico's aunt Kim Martin told reporters that the two men had been friends. In fact, she said, they had been to her house for Easter dinner a few nights before. She speculated that the killing was a drug deal gone bad.

Yonkers Police identified Stinson as a suspect after interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance videos. Stinson later surrendered himself to Yonkers Police and was arrested.

Stinson is scheduled to be sentenced on September 27.