(WNY News Now) – Buffalo, NY – Otis L. Johnson Jr., 46, was sentenced to 25 years in prison followed by 5 years of post-release supervision for the fatal stabbing of Katherine Crofton, 56, in her Buffalo apartment. The sentencing was handed down this morning by Erie County Court Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes, with Johnson classified as a second felony offender.
The incident occurred on December 19, 2022, around 10:20 p.m. at Crofton’s apartment on the 300 block of Riley Street. During an argument, Johnson stabbed Crofton six times, resulting in her death. A jury found Johnson guilty of Manslaughter in the First Degree, a Class “B” violent felony, after less than two hours of deliberation in a five-day trial that concluded in March 2024.
Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane praised the efforts of the Buffalo Police Department detectives and officers involved in the investigation, including Detectives Chris Sterlace, Terrence Supples, Jake Giarrano, and Jose Lorenzo, as well as Officers Sean Overdorf, Demetrius Reynolds, Ronald Ammerman, and Brendan Overdorf.
Assistant Chief Gina M. Gramaglia of the Special Victims/Domestic Violence Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Justin H. Caldwell of the Homicide Bureau prosecuted the case.
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