DA VANCE: DAVID TARLOFF SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR ATTACKING TWO UPPER EAST SIDE DOCTORS, KILLING ONE
Late last week, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced the sentencing of DAVID TARLOFF, 46, to life in state prison for murdering Dr. Kathryn Faughey and assaulting her colleague, Dr. Kent Shinbach, inside the Upper East Side office that they shared in February 2008. On March 28, 2014, a New York State Supreme Court jury found TARLOFF guilty of Murder in the First and Second Degrees, Assault in the First Degree, and Attempted Robbery in the First Degree.
“Doctors Faughey and Shinbach devoted their careers to helping people who have mental illnesses, making this cold-blooded attack all the more tragic,” said District Attorney Vance. “A family has lost a loved one, and countless people have been forever changed by David Tarloff’s vicious attack. I thank the jury for its service, and Judge McLaughlin for handing down an appropriate sentence.”
As proven at trial, on February 12, 2008, TARLOFF traveled from his Queens apartment to a doctor’s suite on East 79th Street intending to rob psychiatrist Dr. Kent Shinbach. TARLOFF was armed with a number of weapons, including multiple knives, a cleaver, and a mallet. After briefly hiding in a stairwell of the building, TARLOFF entered the suite. Inside, TARLOFF encountered psychologist Dr. Kathryn Faughey as she was preparing to leave. The defendant stabbed Dr. Faughey once in the chest, and struck her repeatedly on the head with a mallet. She died at the scene.
Upon hearing noises, Dr. Shinbach entered Dr. Faughey’s office, where TARLOFF had hidden by the door. TARLOFF shoved Dr. Shinbach from behind, knocking him to the floor. As TARLOFF attempted to rob Dr. Shinbach, he cut him multiple times with the cleaver. The defendant also threatened Dr. Shinbach’s life and the lives of his family members in an effort to obtain the doctor’s ATM card and PIN. Unable to obtain any information from Dr. Shinbach, TARLOFF fled the building along a pre-determined route. Dr. Shinbach was rushed to the hospital where he was treated for his extensive injuries. Police officers arrested TARLOFF four days later in his Queens apartment.
Assistant District Attorney Evan Krutoy, Senior Trial Counsel of Trial Bureau 80, prosecuted this case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Kerry O’Connell, Chief of Trial Bureau 80, and Executive Assistant District Attorney John Irwin, Chief of the Trial Division. Assistant District Attorneys Daniel Boylan and Rachel Ehrhardt assisted with the case, with the help of Trial Preparation Assistants Holly Hobbs, Jonathan Wilcon, Amber Hippolyte, and Lauren Gunther.
District Attorney Vance thanked Deputy Chief Investigator Robert M. Mooney and NYPD Detective Kenneth Staller for their assistance with this case.
Defendant Information:
DAVID TARLOFF, D.O.B. 3/12/1968
Queens, New York
Convicted:
• Murder in the First Degree, a class A felony, 1 count
• Murder in the Second Degree, a class A felony, 2 counts
• Assault in the First Degree, a class B felony, 1 count
• Attempted Robbery in the First Degree, a class C felony, 2 counts
Sentenced:
• Life in state prison