Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon announced today that a 51-year-old Albany man has been found guilty of assaulting a man with a knife in his first jury trial as a sitting District Attorney.
Curtis Reliford was found guilty Wednesday afternoon of Attempted Assault in the First Degree and Assault in the Second Degree after a two-day trial in front of the Honorable Andra Ackerman.
“I am thankful for the patience of my co-counsel Steve Lydon, the Court and the jury to allow me to knock off the rust as I get back to trying cases,” DA Kindlon said. “It was good to get back in the courtroom, and I certainly learned a thing or two. I am thankful for the hard work of the Albany Police to pull together a difficult case, and I renew my promise to match their commitment and to bring difficult cases to trial.”
Albany Police were called on Dec. 24, 2024, just after 6:30 a.m. to the Exxon gas station at 553 Washington Ave. for reports of an altercation and a stabbing.
During the trial, DA Kindlon and Assistant District Attorney Stephen Lydon of the Major Crimes Unit called on eight witnesses, including a police dispatcher, a store employee, medical personnel and several police officers.
They played video surveillance footage shot from within the store to show how the incident unfolded.
Reliford was recorded on camera entering the store and approaching the 29-year-old victim when an argument unfolded. Reliford quickly pulled a sharp object from his pocket and stabbed the man in his lower left part of his head, injuring his temporal lobe.
The victim was transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital and spent two days being treated for his wound. Police later identified and arrested Reliford on Jan. 23, 2025.
The victim could not be located to testify in the case. The defense team of public defenders Matthew Alpern and Kyan Peffer did not call on any witnesses but through their cross examinations maintained that Reliford meant to attack the victim but did not intend to kill him. The jury found Reliford not guilty of the Attempted Murder charge.
Reliford will be sentenced on March 9 and faces a state prison sentence ranging from 15 years to life, as he could be designated a persistent violent felon with three previous felony convictions.
