NYC dad bullied witnesses against son who fatally stabbed local basketball star: DA

The father of a man who fatally stabbed a local basketball player was sentenced for creating an Instagram profile to harass and intimidate witnesses against his son, prosecutors said.  Steve Darbasie, a 44-year-old salesman, was sentenced Monday to six months behind bars after he very publicly went after witnesses on an anonymous but easily traceable

The father of a man who fatally stabbed a local basketball player was sentenced for creating an Instagram profile to harass and intimidate witnesses against his son, prosecutors said. 

Steve Darbasie, a 44-year-old salesman, was sentenced Monday to six months behind bars after he very publicly went after witnesses on an anonymous but easily traceable social media profile in an apparent effort to protect his son Tammuz, according to authorities.

Darbasie had insisted his son was acting in self-defense when he stabbed Terrell Wigfall to death in Hell’s Kitchen in August 2020, according to prosecutors.

As his son’s case got closer to trial, Darbasie started naming witnesses and posting pictures of them sitting for police interviews on an anonymous social media profile he created, called “Ratzzzz,” according to a Monday statement from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Steve Darbasie was sent to jail for six months for Instagram posts like this, which were meant to intimidate witnesses against his son, Tammuz.

Authorities arrested him in March 2023, and he was convicted more than a year later on three counts of witness tampering and two counts of intimidation.

“Steve Darbasie waged a relentless campaign of intimidation, using social media as a sword to both punish witnesses for speaking with police and attempt to prevent them from testifying about his son’s crime,” Bragg said in a statement.

“Honest testimony is the bedrock of our criminal legal system, and when witnesses are harassed and intimidated, our ability to hold accountable those who commit violent acts suffers,” he continued.

“We will not tolerate any such attempts, as I hope this trial conviction makes clear.”

Tammuz Darbasie fatally stabbed Terrell Wigfall (pictured), a basketball standout and the father of a young girl.

Darbasie had claimed that Tammuz — then 21 years-old — pulled the knife to defend himself that day in August 2020, when he stabbed Wigfall on the corner of 11th Avenue and West 54th Street just after 10 p.m.

Wigfall, the father of a young daughter, was a junior at Bronx Community College and the leading scorer for the school’s basketball team, the Bronx Broncos.

Authorities rushed the young athlete to Mount Sinai West Hospital, but he died of his injuries several weeks later.

Tammuz, now 24, pleaded to a first-degree manslaughter charge in April 2023 and was sentenced to five years in prison, according to the DA’s office and state prison records.

He will be eligible for early release in January.

The posts had consequences, including someone smashing a witnesses’ rear windshield while they were in the car.

His dad began posting video clips on the anonymous Instagram page around December 2022 that showed witnesses being interviewed by the cops — and identifying participants, Bragg said.

The posts — which included emojis of pigs and rats — came from police videos obtained by his son’s lawyer, the DA added.

The posts weren’t without consequence, authorities said.

Two days after his first post, someone shattered the rear windshield of one of the witnesses’ cars — as two of the witnesses sat inside.

One of them also received threatening texts calling her a “rat,” Bragg said.

Darbasie celebrated the intimidating attempts, and kept his account running until he was collared by the cops.

Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply
Related Posts
Jennifer Aniston criticizes JD Vance for ‘childless cat ladies’ remarks: ‘I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children’
Read More

Jennifer Aniston criticizes JD Vance for ‘childless cat ladies’ remarks: ‘I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children’

CNN  —  Jennifer Aniston is criticizing JD Vance for comments he made in his past about women without children. Aniston shared a screenshot of Vance’s appearance on her Instagram stories, and wrote, “I truly can’t believe this is coming from a potential VP of The United States.” In a 2021 appearance on Tucker Carlson’s former
Kamala Harris claims Republican policies mean gay teachers can’t put up family photos and attacks GOP for wanting to ‘ban books’ instead of assault weapons
Read More

Kamala Harris claims Republican policies mean gay teachers can’t put up family photos and attacks GOP for wanting to ‘ban books’ instead of assault weapons

Vice President Kamala Harris claimed Thursday that Republican policies mean that gay teachers can't put up family photos and blasted the GOP for wanting to 'ban books' while Democrats want to ban assault weapons.  Harris keynoted the American Federation of Teachers Convention in Houston, Texas Thursday morning, lauding the group for being the first union to endorse
The best (Mets!), wildest and everything in between from JulyThe best (Mets!), wildest and everything in between from July
Read More

The best (Mets!), wildest and everything in between from JulyThe best (Mets!), wildest and everything in between from July

The best (Mets!), wildest and everything in between from July 41 minutes ago Will Leitch @williamfleitch Share share-square-418754 The regular season begins in March, and while there aren’t any scheduled games in October this year, it’s not unusual for the regular season to bleed into that month. But on the whole, it is simple to