Sentencing delayed as Leeds man claims domestic abuse

CATSKILL―Sentencing has been postponed for a Leeds man convicted of brutally assaulting and holding his ex-girlfriend captive for two days after his attorneys indicated they intend to seek a reduced sentence under a state law designed to protect survivors of domestic violence.

Michael LaRosa, 26, was scheduled to be sentenced October 27 in Greene County Court following his conviction in August on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from the September 2024 attack.

However, his sentencing has been adjourned without a new date as his defense attorneys seek to file an application for relief under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, Greene County District Attorney Joseph Stanzione said Wednesday.

Signed into law in 2019, the legislation allows courts to impose reduced or alternative sentences when domestic violence survivors are convicted of crimes stemming from abuse they suffered.

To qualify under the statute, a defendant must show that they were subjected to physical, sexual or psychological abuse by a family or household member at the time of the offense, and that the abuse was a significant contributing factor in their criminal conduct.

“He now alleges that he was a victim of domestic violence which has caused him to engage in the crime he was convicted of,” said Stanzione.

“As to the particulars, we have not yet received paperwork setting forth the specific allegations,” Stanzione added.

A Greene County jury found LaRosa guilty of two counts of second-degree violent felony assault and one count of first-degree felony unlawful imprisonment, along with misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, fourth-degree criminal mischief and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation.

The convictions stem from a violent attack on his former girlfriend that unfolded over two days.

“Not only did he punch, kick and choke her to the point that she could not breathe, but he then took a metal toilet paper holder―the type that holds about five rolls of toilet paper―and used it to beat her,” Stanzione said following the conviction.

“Even that was not enough for him as he then proceeded to dig his teeth into her body and rip out a piece of flesh from the back of her shoulder,” the district attorney said.

On the second day of the assault, LaRosa forced the victim onto her hands and knees while naked and repeatedly kicked her in the head, face and body, according to Stanzione.

The victim managed to escape when someone came to the door of the residence.

“As he was engaged in this conduct, a person knocked on the door,” Stanzione said, explaining that LaRosa ordered the victim to remain in the bedroom while he answered.

Instead, the woman jumped from a window, still naked, and fled to a neighbor's home, where police were called.

LaRosa is not the first defendant in a Greene County case to seek relief under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act.

Last year, Carrie Weiser, convicted in the 2021 stabbing death of Scott O. Myers in Catskill, also sought a lesser sentence under the law.

Her motion was ultimately denied by Greene County Court Judge Charles M. Tailleur, and she is serving a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.

Tailleur is also presiding over LaRosa's case.

It remains unclear when LaRosa's sentencing will be rescheduled or what specific allegations his attorneys intend to present in support of the application.