Man acquitted in New Year's Eve Canajoharie death

Stanley T. Hall (inset); 71-73 Walnut St., Canajoharie, the scene of the death

The man accused in a New Year’s Eve incident in Canajoharie that ended with a man dead has been acquitted on all charges, officials said.

Stanley T. Hall, 55, stood trial in Montgomery County Court on one count each of second-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter.

The Montgomery County jury issued its acquittal Monday, finding him not guilty of both charges.

“He started crying, he was visibly emotional,” Hall attorney Michael Viscosi said this week of Hall’s reaction to the verdict.

Hall had been accused of assaulting Joseph T. Herting, 63, of 71 Walnut St., Dec. 31 and causing Herting’s death. Had he been convicted, he would have faced up to 5 to 15 years in prison on the manslaughter count.

Police were called to the Walnut Street apartment building, where Hall also lived, at about 11:20 p.m. on New Year’s Eve for a report of a man bleeding on the steps. Officers arrived to find Herting lying on the front stairs. He later died, and an autopsy confirmed he suffered critical injuries consistent with the fight.

Prosecutors had a witness to parts of what happened outside the apartment building, but Viscosi argued the witness didn’t necessarily see what he thought he saw.

Surveillance video and police body cameras also captured relevant pieces of the incident or aftermath, but what actually happened remained unclear, Viscosi said.

Hall had been in custody since his arrest and was released shortly after the verdict was returned.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kelli McCoski prosecuted. She could not be reached for comment this week.