UPDATE: Jury convicts Wilton man of assault in road-rage stabbing case

PHOTOGRAPHER: Tatiana Zarnowski

A jury in Saratoga County Court has returned a guilty verdict this afternoon in two of four counts in a road-rage stabbing case, according to a tweet from Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy III.

Frank Soriano, 65, of Damascus Drive, Wilton, faces a minimum of two years and up to seven years in prison for his conviction of felony second-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon. He was acquitted of first-degree assault, which requires proof of serious injury.

The charges stem from a Sept. 10, 2011, incident, when Soriano and 42-year-old Jeffrey Streicher were driving aggressively on Northern Pines Road in Wilton and had a minor fender bender, according to authorities. Soriano claimed that in an ensuing altercation he stabbed Streicher in self-defense, as he had been punched several times in the face.

The jury took less than one day to reach its decision. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 29.

Attorneys for both sides presented their closing arguments Tuesday, with Soriano’s attorney, Michael Koenig, painting the prosecution’s witnesses of the fight as inconsistent. No one witness was there for the entire thing, so some believed Soriano was the victim while others believed Streicher was.

Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said after the verdict that the jury felt that Streicher’s injuries, though they resulted in loss of blood, were not life-threatening. The knife didn’t hit any of his internal organs or cause internal bleeding, and he has fully recovered physically from the incident.

Murphy said he was pleased with the jury’s conviction. Assistant District Attorney Ann Sullivan, who prosecuted the case, said she plans to seek more than the two-year minimum in prison for Soriano.