A Queens jury acquitted a man of murder, but nailed him with a manslaughter conviction for stabbing his brother to death.
Gideon Forde, 34, dodged 25 years to life in prison for intentionally stabbing his younger brother, Clinton in the chest during a scuffle on Feb 1, 2012.
Isaiah, 11, testified that as he was downstairs waiting in the living room until the school bus came to pick him up, he noticed his uncle, Gideon, was “acting funny” and “licked a MetroCard” while holding a “big shiny knife.”
Gideon grabbed Isaiah, then 9, who ran upstairs to his parent’s room shouting “uncle Gideon tried to cut me!” — Clinton sprung into action, said prosecutors.
Three weeks prior to the bloody scene inside Clinton’s home in Jamaica, a judge issued an order of protection against Gideon — which was Clinton’s attempt to protect his wife, Joann and their six children from his brother.
“My husband lifted up his shirt and said, ‘he stabbed me,'” said Joann who testified that she immediately called 911 during the violent brawl in her living room.
The jury found Forde guilty of manslaughter, assault, endangering the welfare of a child, resisting arrest and aggravated contempt for violating the order of protection.
During the fight, Isaiah “shepherded” his five younger siblings from the other bedrooms into their parents’ room until the police came.
Joann ordered the officers from the window of the second-floor bedroom to break down the door to get inside, but they walked through an already broken back door which lead to the two men standing face to face.
Officer John Schaeffer drew his weapon, Gideon dropped the knife and placed his wounded brother in front of him as a shield.
Police apprehended Gideon after Officer Schaeffer sprayed mace and five other officers subdued him.
As the 29-year-old man was in his kitchen bleeding to death while EMS attended to his bloody chest, he told his wife to “check on Ashley.”
Forde was acquitted for the murder of Clinton and the attempted murder of his one-year-old niece, Ashley, who was cut on her neck and cheek during the violent incident.
Clinton died an hour later at Jamaica Hospital and Ashley’s superficial wounds were tended to by a nurse.
Forde faces up to 25 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter when he is sentenced by Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise on April 30.