Man charged in 2022 stabbing sentenced to 9 months in jail

NORTHAMPTON – A man charged in connection with stabbing two people outside his Meadowbrook apartment in August of 2022 pleaded guilty today in Northampton District Court to two charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury.

In a change of plea hearing, Judge James McKenna sentenced Jesus J. Baez, 18, of Springfield (formerly of Northampton) to a two-year sentence in the Hampshire House of Correction with 9 months to be served and the balance suspended for two years while he remains on probation.

Baez was charged after an incident in which he left his apartment at the Meadowbrook Apartment Complex when a crowd had gathered outside.  Baez armed himself with a knife and stabbed two men, ages 18 and 19, in the abdomen.  Both victims were seriously injured, taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton and subsequently transferred to Baystate Medical Center, where they were listed in critical condition, but later recovered.

McKenna handed down the sentence after hearing different sentence recommendation from prosecuting and defense attorneys.  While on probation, Baez must stay away from and have no contact with the victims, attend and complete an anger management course, and attend the Community Justice Support Center in Springfield.

Northwestern First Assistant District Attorney Steven E. Gagne recommended a sentence of two years in the House of Correction while defense attorney Thomas Glynn recommended a sentence of probation.

The case was investigated by the Northampton Police Department’s Detective Bureau.