Judge sentences Roosevelt man to 20 years to life in fatal stabbing of beloved Roman Catholic deacon
MINEOLA, N.Y. -- A Roosevelt man who admits he murdered a Roman Catholic deacon who was helping him turn his life around was sentenced on Wednesday.
The deacon ran a transitional house for homeless men with a criminal past, when he was brutally killed nearly five years ago. As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, the admitted killer offered condolences to his grieving family.
A place of hope in Roosevelt became a murder scene when kindness was repaid with violence.
Back in November 2017, Deacon Pat Logsdon, who ran Anthony's House, was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife.
"People trying to help those coming out of prison, giving them second chances, there's very few of those people in the world. And the fact we lost one this way is awful for the community. It's devastating for our family," said Anthony Logsdon, the victim's nephew.
"To know how brutally my brother was murdered, and how a caring man, he would do anything for anybody, is just overwhelming," Jim Logsdon said.
The deacon's family came from Texas to face Andre Patton, who pleaded guilty to the murder.
"They might have been having an argument over something. He had certain rules of the house, and he wanted the men to follow the rules. [Patton] was so angry, he stabbed him 20 times," Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.
Donnelly hailed police for never giving up after Patton fled, tracking him down six months later in Tennessee.
His attorney, Mindy Plotkin, said Patton now accepts responsibility.
"I know that he wanted to extend his condolences. There is deep remorse and I hope that the family can achieve a modicum of peace over time," Plotkin said.
"Our family will miss him, no doubt about it. What he really took away from life was the people he served and the people he helped. That's the person he should have really apologized to," Jim Logsdon said.
Pat Logsdon dedicated his life to giving those who lost their way a better path. His brother said he will never understand a murder by a recipient of his generosity.
"It's hard to describe a human being that is that giving to other people and so selfless to themselves," Jim Logsdon said.
Sentencing him to 20 years to life, the judge told Patton that despite his history of trauma, nothing justifies the violence.
Reflecting on a life he took away from the community, Donnelly said she hopes Patton will serve more than 20 years.
The family estimates Deacon Pat helped 4,000-5,000 men during his years running the transitional house in Roosevelt.