Pearl River Man Gets 11 Years In Prison For Attack On His Wife

A Pearl River man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for a 2011 domestic violence incident in which he choked his wife with a rope noose in the basement of their home, leaving visible marks that still mar the woman’s neck and face.

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe said the sentencing of David Von Doehren, 55, of Pearl River, is the first under a new law on strangulation that was created in New York State in November 2010.
Von Doehren pleaded guilty to first-degree strangulation.

“This sentence is a measure of justice for the victim,” Zugibe said. “It ensures that her husband will be punished for his abusive and demeaning actions.”

The prison sentence stems from a March 23, 2011, incident, when at about 5 p.m. a violent argument took place between von Doehren and his wife in the basement of the couple’s home. During the altercation, the Von Doehren pushed his wife into a basement wall, grabbed her by the throat, tied a rope noose around her neck and pulled it taut —  all while threatening to kill her.

Zugibe said the victim then lost consciousness. When she regained consciousness, Von Doehren continued the assault until she broke free and ran from the home.

Zugibe said the incidents was sparked by von Doehren’s marital infidelities.

Zugibe said the victim was treated at Nyack Hospital and still has visible ligature marks around her neck, as well as significant petechiae about the face, neck and throat.

He said this is Rockland County’s first felony strangulation plea since New York State established a separate statute for the crime in November, 2010. The offenses added to New York's Penal Law are defined as obstructing breathing or blood circulation by applying neck pressure or covering someone's nose and mouth, according to Zugibe.

 “This defendant came dangerously close to killing his wife, causing substantial physical injury and severe pain,” Zugibe said. “This significant sentence conveys a clear message that domestic violence is a serious crime that can never be condoned.”

Prior to the new strangulation law's enactment, Zugibe said cases such as the attack by Von Doehren would not have led to a prison sentence. Zugibe said that despite the violent nature of the attack, previously cases such as this would have been treated as a misdemeanor.

"It would have been very difficult to prove the crime before this new statute came into being," said Zugibe. "A victim could have been seconds away from death, but afterward had no visible injury."