A man accused of assaulting a woman, admitted he returned to the home days later, stabbed the woman and set her home on fire.

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On Thursday, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced Anthony Mahabir, 38, of the City of Newburgh, pleaded guilty in Orange County Court to assault, arson and criminal contempt. The plea was in connection with the March 26, 2020 stabbing of a woman that Mahabir was arrested for having assaulted on two days prior and intentionally burning the multiple family residence where the victim lived on DuBois Street in the City of Newburgh.

Mahabir was released without bail being set after he was arraigned in the City of Newburgh Court on March 24, 2020 on charges of assault for allegedly assaulting the woman. Due to then recently enacted bail reform laws, the City of Newburgh judge had no choice but to release Mahabir without bail, officials say.

The court did issue an order of protection, which commanded Mahabir to stay away from the victim.

At the time that Mahabir pleaded guilty, he admitted that on March 26, 2020 he went to the victim’s apartment building in violation of the order of protection. Mahabir admitted to spreading lighter fluid and using matches to ignite a fire on the staircase landing between the second and third floors of the victim’s building which he knew to be occupied.

Mahabir also admitted that he then proceeded to the victim’s third floor apartment where he stabbed her multiple times in the abdomen and arm.

The woman, who suffered serious physical injuries and could not walk, was carried by other residents to the fire escape where she was rescued by emergency personnel, officials say.

The District Attorney’s office will recommend that Mahabir be sentenced to a total of 18 years in state prison when he is sentenced on January 6, 2021. Judge Prisco stated that he would sentence Mahabir to 15 years in state prison.

“Protecting victims is one of the most important functions of the criminal justice system and in this case the system failed to protect the victim,” Hoovler said. “Although some changes to our bail laws were likely warranted, judges should be given discretion to consider an offender’s dangerousness in setting bail. In addition to causing horrendous injuries to the victim, this defendant endangered many others by setting an apartment building in a city on fire, and clearly deserves a lengthy prison sentence.”

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