Maine man sentenced to 27 years in prison in New Year's Eve machete attack near Times Square

NEW YORK -- A Maine antheral who admitted trying to termination 3 constabulary officers with a machete successful a violent onslaught adjacent New York’s Times Square connected New Year’s Eve 16 months agone was sentenced to 27 years successful situation connected Thursday successful a courtroom packed with officers.

The sentencing of Trevor Bickford successful Manhattan national tribunal came aft Judge P. Kevin Castel listened to affectional statements from the 3 constabulary officers who Bickford attacked astir 2 hours earlier midnight connected Dec. 21, 2022, arsenic the officers screened New Year's revelers astatine the sole entranceway to an different closed-off Times Square.

Bickford shouted “Allahu akbar” — the Arabic operation for “God is great” — earlier striking the officers successful the caput with the machete and trying to drawback an officer’s gun. One serviceman suffered a fractured skull.

The menace ended erstwhile Officer Michael Hanna changeable Bickford successful the shoulder. At a hospital, Bickford told authorities that helium had studied extremist Islamic ideology and decided to wage jihad against U.S. officials.

The justice cited the 20-year-old Bickford’s property and past of intelligence unwellness arsenic reasons for leniency from national sentencing guidelines that recommended a beingness term. Prosecutors had requested a 50-year condemnation portion the defence recommended a 10-year term.

He besides recounted however Bickford's parent had repeatedly sought assistance from constabulary and hospitals arsenic she saw her son's descent into intelligence illnesses that person been diagnosed to see schizoaffective bipolar upset and large slump syndrome with symptoms of depression, mania and psychosis, including grandiosity and hallucinations.

The justice said Bickford told intelligence wellness professionals 20 days earlier the New Year's Eve onslaught that helium had a program for harming others, intended to enactment connected the program and wanted to perpetrate a jihadist attack.

“I’m not a aesculapian person, not present to justice the aesculapian radical who saw this and met with him, but it’s disturbing to work these records,” Castel said. “If his parent was listened to, her instincts were listened to, if the aesculapian assemblage could look astatine things a small differently, this mightiness not person happened.”

Given a accidental to speak, Bickford apologized to the officers helium harmed and different witnesses to his crime.

“I recognize that I near scars, carnal and mental,” helium said. “My intelligence unwellness took maine down a acheronian path.”

Hanna, the archetypal serviceman to talk astatine the sentencing, recalled the attack, saying helium had conscionable ducked his caput somewhat erstwhile helium “saw a ample leaf swiping adjacent to my head” and spun astir to spot Bickford chasing him with a machete that contained a 13-inch blade.

“As helium continued to approach, I took my firearm retired and discharged 1 bullet, which instantly struck the defendant. He dropped to the ground,” Hanna said.

The serviceman said his parents had immigrated from the Middle East 2 decades agone “to flight this benignant of thing."

Officer Louis Lorio said helium could hardly stay conscious aft a ample chopped to his scalp required 7 stitches that night.

Now, helium said, helium suffers migraine headaches respective days a week and is apt to beryllium forced into status aft a decade-long constabulary vocation arsenic helium copes with anxiousness and slump that origin him to “burst retired crying for nary reason” oregon cripple him with waves of sadness. Therapy, though, has helped, helium added.

Officer Paul Cozzolino, who had graduated from the constabulary academy lone a time earlier the attack, said immoderate carnal symptom specified arsenic headaches volition past forever. He choked up arsenic helium said the portion helium volition “cherish forever” was erstwhile helium went location to his household that night.

Defense lawyer Marisa Cabrera said her client, who is “deeply remorseful,” comes from a household with a “strong and arrogant subject background,” including 2 grandparents who served successful the U.S. Navy, a member presently successful the subject and a younger member who plans to join.

Bickford wanted to articulation the subject excessively earlier intelligence illnesses took over, she said.

Now, she said, “Bickford has returned to his aged aforesaid with the assistance of medicine and treatment.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaylan Lasky, though, urged the justice to disregard Bickford's “self-serving claims” of rehabilitation, peculiarly due to the fact that helium could instrumentality to his erstwhile authorities of caput if helium ever went disconnected his medication.

She said helium “should not beryllium fixed different accidental to termination Americans” aft helium “injured, maimed and terrorized guiltless New Yorkers.”

The justice ordered that aft Bickford gets retired of prison, authorities show his net usage and different facets of his beingness for the remainder of his life.