(WNY News Now) – A 34-year-old Hamburg man received a 23-year-to-life prison sentence on Tuesday from Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case, following a conviction for the November 2021 murder of 67-year-old John E. Rados, Sr.
Buffalo – Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn has announced the sentencing of William J. Giambelluca, 34, to 23 years to life in prison. Giambelluca, a resident of Hamburg, was convicted for the November 2021 murder of John E. Rados, Sr., 67, in a robbery gone awry.
The incident occurred on November 22, 2021, around 11:45 p.m., when Rados was leaving a Blasdell tavern. In the parking lot, Giambelluca assaulted Rados, intentionally striking him on the head with a piece of wood during a robbery. After stealing $60 in cash, the assailant fled, using the money to purchase heroin.
The following morning, Rados was found unconscious in his home with a fractured skull. Rushed to ECMC, he succumbed to blunt force trauma on November 24, 2021. The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the cause of death.
After a five-day trial in August 2023, a jury deliberated for approximately three hours, finding Giambelluca guilty of Murder in the Second Degree and Robbery in the First Degree. The verdict encompassed all charges in the indictment. The sentence was handed down by Judge Kenneth Case during a proceeding yesterday afternoon.
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