US woman slams judge over 8.5-year sentence for man who stabbed her 22 times

A 23-year-old woman in New York has criticised a Bronx judge for giving the man who stabbed her 22 times an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence, saying the punishment does not reflect the severity of the attack or its lasting impact on her life.

Kaitlynn Berman spoke to the New York Post on Friday, two days after Joseph, the man who attacked her in March 2025, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.

“He stabbed me more times than the years he was sentenced for,” Berman told the newspaper. She also objected to the suggestion that her attacker was young enough to turn his life around, saying the focus should instead be on the consequences of his actions.

Berman said she believed Joseph had received a lenient sentence and that the physical and psychological effects of the attack continued to affect her.

“I think it was a very, very light sentence,” she said. “He needs more than eight and a half years, and people really need to know who he is.” She added: “People need to know that he’s a monster.”

Berman said she had suffered daily trauma since the attack and would have to live with its effects long after Joseph's release. The New York Post reported that Berman vomited after learning about the sentence, which she described as "very light".

During the sentencing, Bronx Judge Lewis addressed Joseph, telling him that the attack had affected Berman's life and urging him to reflect on his actions.

“I hope you hear what I’m saying. I hope you think about what you’ve done. I’m sure you have. I’m sure you’ve had many sleepless nights. But you’ll never be able to take away what you did to Ms. Berman and how you affected her life,” the judge said.

He then said the sentence had been agreed upon and imposed the punishment as promised. Lewis was appointed to the bench by New York Governor Kathy Hochul in 2023.

Berman, however, rejected the argument that her attacker deserved an opportunity to change his life, saying the consequences of the crime should take precedence.

“They said that he’s still young and has time to change his life around,” she told the newspaper. “I think it doesn’t matter if you have time to change your life around. I think it matters of what you already did. You need to suffer the consequences.”