Former boyfriend jailed over fatal stabbing of Longford woman in New York
Michael McAleer
The former boyfriend of Longford woman Sarah McNally has been sentenced by a New York court to 24 years in prison for fatally stabbing her in March last year.
Marcin Pieciak (37) cornered the victim while she worked at The Ceili House, a since-closed Irish bar in the Queens neighbourhood of New York city. He fatally attacked her, then slit his own throat.
According to the charges, on March 30th, 2024, at approximately 6:30pm, Pieciak arrived at the Ceili House Bar at 69-56 Grand Avenue in Maspeth, Queens.
The defendant approached 41-year-old Sarah McNally as she worked, went behind the bar and stabbed her 19 times in the neck, back and chest causing fatal injuries to her carotid artery and severing her spine.
Pieciak then cut his own throat several times with a second knife and attempted to run from the bar. A patron intervened and stopped the defendant from fleeing the scene.
When police arrived, Pieciak exited the premises with two knives and brandished the weapons toward the officers. Police safely disarmed him and recovered the knives.
Pieciak of 76th Street in Glendale, pleaded guilty last month to manslaughter in the first degree in satisfaction of the indictment against him. Queens Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant sentenced the defendant today to 24 years in prison, to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.
In a press statement, Queens District Attorney Katz said: “Marcin Pieciak mercilessly stabbed his girlfriend 19 times at her place of work. This violent and unprovoked attack took Sarah McNally’s life and left her family, friends and colleagues devastated on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. We hope that today’s sentence provides some measure of comfort as Ms McNally’s loved ones continue to grieve her senseless loss.”
McNally had been living in New York for about 10 years at the time of her death.
