The killing of an East Village man and brutal stabbing of two others in a gory 2024 street fight resulted in an 18-year prison term for the knifeman at his Manhattan Supreme Court sentencing Tuesday.
Justice Curtis Farber handed down the sentence to Alejandro Piedra, 32, for claiming the life of 38-year-old Clemson Cockfield, and grievously injuring the victim’s wife, Jennifer Cockfield, and another man, Jonathan Lopez, during a bloody melee on June 23, 2024.
Piedra, from Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, attempted murder and assault in January.
A fight that broke out between Piedra, the Cockfields and Lopez on E. 13th St. near First Ave. — close to where the couple and Lopez sold secondhand wares on the sidewalk — turned fatal after Piedra took out a knife, he admitted in his guilty plea.
Police investigate stabbings on E. 14th St. near Avenue A in Manhattan, New York on Sunday, June 23 2024. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)
After Clemson Cockfield and Lopez approached him brandishing a piece of wood, Piedra reacted by stabbing Lopez in the torso and head, according to court filings. The brawl then appeared to fizzle out, with Lopez seeking medical attention and the couple and Piedra walking away from each other, only to reignite around 20 minutes later when the couple crossed Piedra’s path again on E. 14th St. by Avenue A.
As Clemson Cockfield and Piedra fought again on the sidewalk, Piedra turned his sights on the man’s wife, who was watching from a distance. He stabbed her in the stomach, leg and neck. The woman’s husband came to her defense by hitting Piedra from behind with a broken lamp, according to court records.
Stabbing suspect Alejandro Piedra is pictured in police custody leaving the NYPD’s 9th Precinct stationhouse on June 24, 2024 (Sam Costanza for the New York Daily News)
Piedra then stabbed Clemson Cockfield in the head and neck before turning back to continue attacking the man’s wife. Medics who responded to the scene rushed the husband and wife to the hospital, but Clemson Cockfield could not be saved. His wife underwent emergency surgery.
“Alejandro Piedra escalated to deadly violence when he brutally stabbed three individuals in a busy neighborhood in the span of minutes,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
“As a result of this horrific conduct, Clemson Cockfield’s life was tragically taken, and Mr. Cockfield’s wife was seriously injured. I hope their family and loved ones can take comfort knowing there is accountability in this matter.”
Police investigate stabbings on E. 14th St. near Avenue A in Manhattan, New York, on Sunday, June 23, 2024. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)
Piedra’s lawyer, Stanford Hickman, declined to comment.