JURY CONVICTS DEFENDANT OF ASSAULT IN THE FIRST DEGREE FOR STABBING MAN WITH BROKEN BOTTLE FOLLOWING MINOR CAR ACCIDENT

Usanewsonline.com desk:  Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced 16 june that Robert Finley, 46, has been convicted  at trial of assault in the first degree for stabbing a man in the face with a broken glass bottle. A minor traffic  incident escalated into a near-deadly altercation when the victim stepped out of his vehicle after his car was  struck by the door of the defendant’s automobile in November 2020.  

District Attorney Katz said, “A minor vehicle collision escalated to brutal violence when the  defendant stabbed the victim in the face as he attempted to inspect the inconsequential damage. Following  a two-week-long trial, a jury has determined that that the defendant is guilty of assault in the first degree.  We hope this verdict provides the victim with some measure of peace as he continues to recover from  sustained injuries.”  

A jury found Finley, of Tilden Avenue in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, guilty late yesterday of assault in  the first degree following a two-week-long trial. Queens Supreme Court Justice Michelle Johnson, who  presided at trial, set the defendant’s sentencing for July 11, 2022. At that time, Finley faces up to 25 years  in prison.  

District Attorney Katz said, according to trial records, the victim was driving past the defendant’s  vehicle near Liverpool Street and 109th Avenue when Finley allegedly opened his car door and struck the  other automobile. The victim pulled over, got out of his car to inspect the damage and that’s when Finley  approached with a glass bottle. The defendant slammed the bottle on the man’s head, then used shards of  the broken glass to stab the victim in the cheek and mouth.  

DA Katz added that then turned around and got back into his vehicle and fled the scene.  

The victim had deep lacerations to his face that required approximately 150 stitches and still has the  scars on his face, as a result of the attack.  

Assistant District Attorney Thomas Salmon, of the DA’s Career Criminal and Major Crimes Bureau,  is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Shawn Clark, Bureau Chief,  Michael Whitney, Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District  Attorney of Major Crimes Daniel Saunders.