Albany woman sentenced to 25 years to life for 2023 stabbing
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — An Albany woman was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for second-degree murder after fatally stabbing a man in 2023, Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon said on Tuesday. Kyisha Smith, 43, was found guilty by a jury in November 2024.
The stabbing reportedly occurred in South Mall Towers on South Pearl Street in May 2023. Around 4:45 p.m., police responded to the location for reports of a person with a weapon. Authorities said that, when they arrived, they found James West, 58, in the 8th-floor hallway with a stab wound to his neck.
West was pronounced dead at the scene, officials reported. After an investigation, police said Smith, who had been found in an apartment on another floor, had stabbed the 58-year-old during a domestic-related altercation in the building.
During her sentencing, Judge Andra Ackerman said that video evidence following the stabbing showed that Smith had little remorse for stabbing West. According to the video, Smith had left the scene and failed and call for help for the 58-year-old.