Stabbing of father gets Bloomfield man 10 years
Defendant pleads guilty to first-degree assault
HARTFORD – A Bloomfield man who pleaded guilty to first-degree assault for stabbing his father in the chest last March was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison.
Carlos Cameron, 36, has been jailed since his arrest March 21. Police said he stabbed his 68-year-old father after a dispute over a ride. Hepleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement.
“The defendant caused a very serious injury to the victim,” prosecutor Vicki Melchiorre told Hartford Superior Court Judge Laura F. Baldini. “He stabbed the victim in the chest and he nearly died.”
The 10-year prison term is the minimum the victim wanted his son to serve, Melchiorre said.
Melchiorre noted that Cameron had a difficult relationship with this father, but said “the defendant did not have the right to stab him.”
Public defender William O’Connor presented letters, including one from a family member outlining the family history, to the judge. Still, O’Connor said the history does not justify what Cameron did. Cameron acknowledges that as well, O’Connor said.
Baldini noted that Cameron has a criminal record that dates to 2003 for crimes such as sale of drugs, possession of drugs, assault and threatening.
And while Cameron’s upbringing “may not have been optima,” Baldini said, his conduct was improper.
“While [a difficult family life] may explain some of his actions, it does not excuse it,” Baldini said.