Field sentenced to 50 years to life for Catskill stabbings

CATSKILL―Jeffrey Field has been sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for a violent 2021 attack that left one Catskill man dead and another critically wounded.

Field, 37, of Round Top, stood before Judge Meghan Galligan in Greene County Court on Monday and accepted no blame for the fatal stabbing of Adam White, 27, or for inflicting serious injuries on Christopher Gere, 33, in the early morning hours of August 22, 2021, on Summit Avenue.

“Mr. Field stood up and stated that he was not responsible for what occurred,” said Greene County District Attorney Joseph Stanzione.

A jury convicted Field of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault on November 24, 2025, following a ten-day trial.

“It should be noted, that during a presentence report interview conducted by the Greene County Probation Department, Mr. Field expressed no remorse and had nothing to say to the families of the victims,” Stanzione said.

Loved ones of White and Gere were in court for the sentencing where Galligan heard victim impact statements from White’s mother, father and stepmother.

David White, Sr., Adam White’s dad, called Field a maggot and a coward. Every day he feels like he was stabbed in the heart just like his son was, the grieving father told the courtroom.

Among the photos David White, Sr. brought to court was one of Adam White’s own son holding his father’s ashes in an urn.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Low, who presented the case at trial with Assistant District Attorney Krista Kline, asked Galligan to impose the maximum sentence permitted by law.

Defense attorney John Hillman argued that Field was acting under the influence of illegal substances at the time of the murder and the court should consider the lowest permitted sentence with an aim toward providing Field help by way of rehabilitative programs.

But Galligan agreed with prosecutors, sentencing Field to 25 years to life for the second-degree murder conviction, plus another 25 years to run consecutive for the attempted murder conviction. She gave Field another seven years for the second-degree assault conviction. He must also pay a $5,000 fine and an order of protection was issued for the families of the two victims.

Low described the attack as a “case of mistaken identity” and during trial jurors were shown a short video that depicts White and Gere walking home from a local bar and being approached by a pair of individuals who start a fight. Those two assailants were identified as Field and Michael White, who is of no relation to the victim.  

Ultimately, Adam White suffered mortal stab wounds to his chest and back that penetrated his heart and spleen. He died at the scene. Gere sustained stab wounds which sent him by helicopter to Albany Medical Center. He survived.

“Judge Galligan expressed that it is due to crimes such as these, in which a person is stabbed to death only a few feet from his home, without warning, provocation, or reason, that citizens do not feel safe in their own communities and are reluctant to assist others who are in need of help,” said Stanzione.

Galligan, a New York Supreme Court justice from Sullivan County, presided over the case after both Greene County Court judges, Charles Tailleur and David Costanzo, recused themselves due to previous dealings with Field during their time as prosecutors.

State records show that Field has been sentenced to prison twice for burglary convictions in Greene County and was last released in January of 2021.

According to Stanzione, after the stabbings, Field drove to Greenfield in Saratoga County where he was involved in two home invasions, stole one car and hijacked another, and led police on a high-speed chase before crashing into a tree. Field spent the next six months in Albany Medical Center before being discharged and remanded to the Greene County Jail without bail where he now awaits transfer to state prison.

But the jury was never privy to this information that Stanzione said would have been “highly prejudicial.”

Michael White, 35, had been charged with second-degree murder, second-degree assault, and tampering with physical evidence, and testified against Field during trial.

On Monday, Michael White appeared in front of Galligan shortly after Field’s sentencing and took a plea deal, admitting to the assault charge in exchange for the other charges being dropped. He remains in the Greene County Jail without bail and is scheduled for sentencing on May 29.

“My office extends its thanks to the Village of Catskill Police Department, New York State Police, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and my entire staff, all of whom contributed to ensuring that Mr. Field was brought to justice and held accountable for the vicious and vile acts committed against the citizens of our community,” said Stanzione.