Serious Criminal Cases This Month In Erie County

The Erie County District Attorney's Office was busy this month. Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane and his team have been busy prosecuting crimes in Buffalo and the rest of the county.

Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty To Arson

A 44-year-old Buffalo man pleaded guilty to one count of Arson in the Second Degree on December 2, 2025. He entered into the plea to avoid going to trial. Scott A. Sinwell intentionally set a fire to a home in the Seneca Babcock neighborhood. His actions caused approximately $60,000 in damges. Thankfully, no one was injured in the incident. The victim had a previous order of protection against Sinwell and he committed prior crimes against the victim, including Burglary in the Second Degree and Aggravated Family Offense. He is facing 40 years behind bars. Sinwell is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, February 9, 2026, at 2:00 pm.

Buffalo Woman Sentenced For Intentionally Running Over Man

Iyanna R. Scott, a 22-year-old Buffalo woman, pleaded guilty to to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for intentionally running over a man. On Sunday, May 19, 2024, she drove with two male passengers to a car wash on Walden Avenue in Cheektowaga. Scott and one of the men got into an argument, then they got into a physical fight. Both males walked away from her on Walden Avenue, heading towards Union Road. Scott followed the men in her vehicle and hit one of them, 21-year-old Demario Patterson, who died from his injuries.

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Teen Sentenced for Shooting In Depew

An 18-year-old was sentenced to 5 years in prison for a shooting in Depew. Mikhaeel Abdul-Jaleel shot a woman with the intent to kill outside of a store on Broadway in Depew. The 20-year-old female victim was taken to ECMC and treated for serious injuries. Abdul-Jaleel pleaded guilty to one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, one count of Assault in the First Degree, one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and one count of Assault in the Second Degree.

Hamburg Man Arraigned For Killing His Mother

James P. Jenney, also known as James Jenney-McCullough, was arraigned on December 15, on one count of Murder in the Second Degree. The 33-year-old man allegedly killed his mother on December 14. Hamburg police conducted a welfare check at a home on McKinley Parkway and found the 71-year-old victim deceased inside the home. If Jenney is convicted he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

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Buffalo Man Sentenced For Killing Wife With An Axe

A 47-year-old Buffalo man was sentenced for killing his wife. Antonio J. Prieto was sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing 29-year-old Elibeth Salazar during a domestic incident in an apartment on Rhode Island Street. Prieto struck his wife with axe on Monday, August 26, 2024, at approximately 3:45 am. Police found him inside the bathroom in the home with self-inflicted knife wounds. He pleaded guilty to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree.

Buffalo Man Headed To Prison For Fatal Shooting

Alfonzo D. Quinney was given an indeterminate sentence of 25 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a man with an illegal gun on Northland Avenue in Buffalo. The 49-year-old shot 28-year-old Elijah Mingo on September 6, 2024. A jury found Quinney guilty of one count of Murder in the Second Degree and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.

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