Man from Schenectady Receives 20-Year Sentence for 2022 Burglary and Assault

January 31, 2024

Updated: January 31, 2024

SCHENECTADY — On Friday, Jahaad Ubrich received a 20-year prison sentence for his involvement in a burglary and assault incident that took place in July 2022. The victim of this crime was the mother of two of Ubrich’s children, residing in Schenectady.

In September, a jury found Ubrich, 26, guilty of first-degree burglary, a class B violent felony, second-degree burglary, a class C violent felony, third-degree assault, a class A misdemeanor, and endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.

For the violent felony burglary charge, Ubrich was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision. He was also given a one-year sentence for the assault charge, one year for endangering the welfare of a child, and seven years for the second-degree burglary charge. These lesser sentences will run concurrently with the 20-year sentence.

Shawn Kingsley Duhaney, Ubrich’s attorney, requested a new trial, claiming that a letter from the victim admitted to perjury.

“She lied to the police, grand jury, and the court,” Duhaney stated.

However, Schenectady County Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Weinhold argued that there was no proof that the victim had written the letter in question. He also mentioned that he had never seen the letter, and it had never been in the possession of the police or the prosecution.

“This letter is inadmissible, it’s hearsay,” Weinhold declared.

Judge Tatiana Coffinger dismissed the argument about the letter, stating that even if it had been presented as evidence during the trial, there was also police body-camera footage and a recorded 911 call from the night of the incident.

“The footage was chilling,” Coffinger remarked.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Ubrich had persuaded a homeless person to knock on the back door of the victim’s apartment under the pretense of asking for redeemable cans on July 17, 2022. When the victim, the mother of two of Ubrich’s children, opened the door, Ubrich forced his way in and began assaulting her while she was holding their four-month-old son.

The assault continued for approximately 10 minutes until the Schenectady police arrived.

Ubrich then escaped through the back door of the apartment and was located nearby. When confronted by police officers, he attempted to flee, leading to a foot chase. He was eventually apprehended in a backyard not far from the victim’s apartment.

On Friday, Judge Coffinger also issued an order of protection for the victims, which will last for the maximum allowable duration of 32 years.

“I’m almost surprised at how young you are,” Coffinger told Ubrich in court, “because you have a very lengthy criminal record.”

Ubrich has a history of incarceration, including a 2019 sentence for burglary and attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance, a 2020 sentence for another burglary case, and a December 2022 sentence for a criminal possession of a weapon charge, as per the New York State Department of Corrections website.

“I don’t see a lot of good that has happened in your past, though you have been given many opportunities,” Coffinger told Ubrich. “I fear for your son.”

While the jury found Ubrich guilty of several charges related to the July 2022 incident, they also acquitted him of two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of menacing, and one count of obstructing governmental administration, according to a press release from the District Attorney’s Office after the trial.