Tried To Ignite Ex-Lover’s Flame
A 46-year-old Far Rockaway resident has been convicted in the May 2011 attempted murder of a Queens man whom he believed was having a sexual relationship with his former lover and mother of three children.
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown identified the defendant as Stephan Schlackman, 46, of Dwight Avenue in Far Rockaway, who was convicted last Tuesday, July 22, of attempted murder, second-degree attempted arson and reckless endangerment following a two-week jury trial before Acting Queens Supreme Court Justice James P. Griffin.
Schlackman will be sentenced on Aug. 6 and faces a maximum of 25 years in prison.
“[Schlackman] has been found guilty in a bungled attempt to kill another man by setting him on fire. According to trial testimony, the defendant-motivated by rage and jealousy-filled a large plastic container with gasoline, placed it at the victim’s door and tried to light it,” Brown said in a statement last Wednesday, July 23. “If not caught in the act by the victim and his roommate, the defendant’s actions could have had devastating results. His actions warrant a long prison sentence.”
According to trial testimony, just before midnight on May 9, 2011, Schlackman placed a bin containing gasoline on the porch of a residence on Beach 25th Street in Far Rockaway. He was confronted by the victim and his roommate. The three individuals struggled and Schlackman was injured.
The defendant ran away from the scene with a gash on the back of his head. The victim and his roommate called police.
The evidence presented at trial indicated that Schlackman left a puddle of blood at the scene as well as a book of blood-stained matches, both of which were a positive match for the defendant’s DNA, said District Attorney Brown, and Schlackman’s DNA was also found on the gasoline-filled plastic bin.
In September 2013 Schlackman’s first trial ended with a hung jury. The jury at his re-trial found him guilty after one full day of deliberations.
Assistant District Attorney Charissa Ilardi of the District Attorney’s Economic Crimes Bureau prosecuted the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Gregory C. Pavlides, Bureau Chief, and Christina Hanophy and Kristen Kane, Deputy Bureau Chiefs and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.
