Posted on: August 07, 2025 04:56 PM

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Crown heights man sentenced to 12 years in prison for breaking into ex girlfriends apartment and stabbing romantic rival

A Crown Heights man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home in the middle of the night and stabbing a romantic rival with a knife as he slept. The defendant was convicted at trial for the attack, which left the victim with life threatening injuries.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “Today’s sentence holds the defendant responsible for a brutal and horrifying act of violence that nearly cost an innocent man his life. Keeping the people of Brooklyn safe is my highest priority, and violent offenders like this defendant will face serious consequences.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Clifton Turner, 39, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Eugene Guarino to 12 years in prison and. The defendant was convicted of two counts of first-degree burglary, one count of second-degree assault and one count of petit larceny on September 23, 2024, following a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, on the night of November 4, 2020, the defendant showed up at his ex-girlfriend’s apartment building on Pulaski Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The defendant was pacing back and forth in the lobby when he encountered the 26-year-old victim arriving on a bike. At the time, the victim was dating the defendant’s ex-girlfriend, but did not know the other man. The defendant followed the victim into the elevator and up to the woman’s sixth-floor apartment. There, the defendant accosted the victim and threatened to kill him. The woman, 29, opened the door to her apartment and pulled the victim inside, leaving the bike in the hallway. The defendant took the bike and left.

Furthermore, according to the evidence, on November 5, 2020, at approximately 3:30 a.m., the defendant broke into the apartment and forced his way into the bedroom where the victim and ex-girlfriend were sleeping. The defendant proceeded to stab the victim twice in the left arm, severing a vein and brachial artery. The defendant then confiscated their cellphones. The woman was able to get the knife from the defendant and throw it out a window. She escaped the apartment and called 911 from a corner store.

The defendant ran out of the apartment in pursuit of his ex-girlfriend. Police arrived at the scene and arrested him as he was riding the victim’s bike and in possession of the two stolen cellphones.

The victim was rushed to Kings County Hospital where he became pulseless and apneic for approximately 10 minutes before being resuscitated. He remained hospitalized for four days.

From DA