ITHACA, N.Y. — A man accused of killing an Ithaca College student at Cornell last August will get a new trial that’s scheduled to begin next week.
Nagee Green, 23, is accused of stabbing 19-year-old Anthony Nazaire to death during a street brawl in the early morning of Aug. 28, 2016. After a June trial lasted about 10 days with an additional four days of jury deliberation, Green was convicted of felony second-degree assault for stabbing and injuring Raheim Williams three times in the back during the fight.
Related — Ithaca police body camera: witness wails for friend dying of fatal stab wound at Cornell
Williams testified during the trial that he stood face-to-face with Green before grabbing him by the backpack straps and pulling him onto the ground. Green ended up on top of him, and Williams tried to turn his body to try to get out from under Green.
“That’s when I called to Anthony to try get his help,” Williams said, noting that his friend was 5 – 10 feet away.
He said Nazaire threw two punches at Green — one with each fist — and then fell over. As Nazaire landed onto Williams’ right leg, blood was coming out of his mouth, and Green ran away.
Williams said he never saw Green with a knife (another witness did see Green with a knife) and didn’t immediately realize he and Nazaire had been stabbed.
The entire incident lasted about 45 seconds and the street fight started after Williams bumped into a girl who was with Green.
District Attorney Matt Van Houten said some jurors spoke to prosecutors after the trial and told them the jury was hung 10-2 in favor of the murder conviction charge.
“We have continued to evaluate the case and prepare in the best way possible to present the evidence in the way that’s clearest and most logical so that the jury can do the right thing,” Van Houten said. “We believe he’s guilty of murder and so we’re going to charge him with murder in the second degree, as we did in the first trial.”
Jury selection for the new trial starts Sept. 15.
Green’s attorneys Joseph Joch and Michael Perehinec were unable to provide a comment by press time.
Featured image: From left, defense attorney Michael Perehinec sits beside defendant Nagee Green. Kelsey O’Connor/Ithaca Voice
Editor’s note: Attorney Michael Perehinec is on The Ithaca Voice Board of Directors. We do not feel that this has influenced our coverage. Please contact Executive Editor Mike Blaney at mblaney@ithacavoice.com with comments or concerns.