Top things to know
- Scott Schunzel, 33, pleaded guilty on October 22 to a federal hate crime charge for stabbing a 59-year-old Jamaican-American woman in Newburgh, New York.
- The June 18, 2024 attack occurred near a parked fruit truck and left the victim with a deep hamstring wound requiring hospital stitches.
- Investigators searching Schunzel's residence found anti-Black writings explicitly discussing stabbing and killing Black women.
- Schunzel fled to Florida the day after the attack but was located and arrested by FBI agents in Miami.
- The defendant faces up to 10 years in federal prison, with sentencing to be decided by US District Judge Vincent Briccetti.
A 33-year-old New York man, Scott Schunzel, has entered a guilty plea to a federal hate crime charge following a racially motivated knife attack on a 59-year-old Jamaican-American woman in Newburgh, New York. Schunzel formally entered his plea on October 22 before United States District Judge Vincent Briccetti in federal court for the Southern District of New York. Federal prosecutors confirmed that Schunzel admitted to intentionally targeting and attacking the victim because of her race and skin color during the June 2024 incident.The attack occurred on June 18, 2024, as the victim stood near a parked fruit truck in Newburgh. According to prosecutors with the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Schunzel approached the victim and deliberately stabbed her. The 59-year-old victim, a longtime resident of Newburgh whose identity has not been publicly released by law enforcement, suffered a deep wound to her left hamstring. Emergency medical responders transported her by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where she received stitches for her injuries.Following the physical assault, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Schunzel’s residence. Investigators discovered handwritten notes and various materials expressing severe hostility toward Black people. Among the seized evidence were explicit statements referencing violence, including writings detailing plans and intentions regarding the stabbing and killing of Black women. On June 19, 2024, the day immediately following the stabbing, Schunzel fled New York and traveled to Florida in an attempt to evade authorities. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents subsequently located and arrested him in Miami.Statements released by federal law enforcement officials emphasized the gravity of the bias-motivated violence. United States Attorney Jamie McDonald noted that the guilty plea highlights the seriousness with which federal authorities treat hate crimes. McDonald stated, “As he has now admitted, Scott Schunzel deliberately stabbed a Jamaican-American woman and longtime Newburgh resident with a knife because of her race and color.” FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle Jr. added that the plea serves as an acknowledgment of the severe physical harm inflicted on the victim and underscores the necessity of holding perpetrators of bias-motivated acts accountable under law.Under federal sentencing guidelines, Schunzel faces a maximum statutory sentence of ten years in federal prison. His final sentence will be determined by Judge Briccetti following a review of presentence investigations. The prosecution was led by the Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit of the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, with investigative support provided by FBI offices in New York and Miami, the FBI Hudson Valley White Collar Crime Task Force, the Newburgh Police Department, the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, and the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office.