Liberty, NY - On January 24, 2025, Sullivan County District Attorney Brian P. Conaty announced that Darwin Banegas-Ortiz, 40, of Liberty, was sentenced to twenty years’ incarceration in state prison to be followed by five years of post-release supervision by Sullivan County Court Judge James R. Farrell on January 16, 2025, upon his conviction for Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a Class B Felony. Banegas-Ortiz pled guilty to that charge on November 4, 2024, admitting that he attempted to cause the death of another by striking the victim in the neck with a knife outside the Star Bar in Liberty on July 23, 2023, at approximately 12:30 A.M. In an unprovoked attack, the defendant assaulted three individuals outside of the Star Bar in Liberty, New York. Two of the individuals suffered serious injuries. The Village of Liberty Police Department responded quickly and provided a police escort to the hospital where life saving measures were taken for two of the victims.
Conaty said: “I want to thank the Village of Liberty Police Department for their comprehensive investigation into this case and swift action in providing a police escort to the hospital. This action resulted in saving the lives of the victims in this case. The violent crimes perpetrated by the defendant were met with an equally punitive sentence to ensure that this defendant is not released from prison until he is no longer a threat to the Sullivan County community.”
