Crime & Safety

New London Teenager Sentenced In 2010 Stabbing

Demetrius Watley ordered to serve just under three years for incident that happened after Sailfest

A 16-year-old who was tried as an adult in a 2010 stabbing was sentenced to serve just under three years of an eight-year sentence on Tuesday.

Justice Patrick J. Clifford ordered Demetrius M. Watley, of Plant Street, to serve 33 months of the underlying sentence in prison. Watley must also serve three years of probation, during which time he must have no contact with the victim or his family, attend substance abuse and anger management counseling as recommended by his probation officer, participate in electronic monitoring if recommended, and attend school, work, or a combination of both.

Watley entered an Alford plea in to first-degree assault on Oct. 7. The plea does not admit guilt but concedes that the state could prevail if the matter went to trial.

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The incident

Watley was 14 years old when the stabbing occurred on July 10, 2010. According to a report by Officer Christopher Kramer of the New London Police Department, police responded to a report of shots fired outside 163 Huntington Street. They found 14-year-old Kevin Shaw, who had been stabbed twice in the left arm and twice in the left side of his back. This boy was taken to and later flown to Yale-New Haven Hospital due to the severity of the wounds. Senior Assistant State’s Attorney David Smith said at one point a vein had to be taken from Shaw’s groin to be used in his arm to avoid amputation.

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Witnesses identified Watley as the assailant and said the stabbing had grown out of a feud between two gangs that started with an altercation on during Sailfest. Watley was subsequently arrested at a residence on Griswold Court.

Watley told police he had been downtown with two friends to see the festival’s fireworks and planned to meet a friend on Federal Street to retrieve his cell phone. He said a group of five or six males confronted him and the friend and threatened them with knives.

Watley told police he took out his own knife and attacked a male in the group who was unarmed. He said another person in the group fired two shots after him when he ran from the scene.

Sentencing

Smith said Watley has no history of psychological or substance abuse problems, and has a strong support network with his family. However, Smith said Watley had also gotten into a fistfight after making bond on the charge and been cited for disruptive or disrespectful behavior while imprisoned. Smith said he stood by the state’s initial recommendation of having Watley serve four years of the eight-year sentence with three years of probation.

“The defendant has made some extremely bad choices in his life, and now unfortunately he seems to be paying the price,” said Smith.

Katherine Shaw, Kevin’s mother, said her son has had to endure physical therapy and is unable to participate in sports.

“What Demetrius did was unfathomable,” she said. “To think that a 14-year-old could do that and not show any remorse.”

Watley’s mother, Diane Watley, said she sympathized with Katherine but that she believed her son when he said he acted out of self-defense during a group attack. Aaron Brady, Watley’s father, said he felt that his son’s opportunities in schooling and other areas could be lost forever if he was sentenced harshly.

“It’s not just this young man here. It’s all of them,” said Brady. “I believe they all have a chance, because they’re still nothing but kids.”

Watley’s file included letters of support from neighbors and youth coaches.

“I found him to be a very respectful and polite young man from the first time I met him,” said Willie Quinones, the junior division head coach for New London Youth Football from 2007 to 2009. “I believe Demetrius fully understands the mistake he has committed, the people he has let down, and if given the opportunity he will make positive changes from here on.”

Watley’s attorney, Matt Berger, said he had hoped the case could be tried in juvenile court. He said that Watley has a supportive family and that although they did not prevent the stabbing, he felt they would be instrumental in preventing further incidents.

“I think even with an ideal family, some young people don’t understand what they have,” said Berger.

Berger asked that Watley be released on served time, which amounts to about one year. Watley himself made a brief statement to apologize.

“I just want to get back to school and get my life back on track,” he said.


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