Cohoes man pleads guilty to attempted murder, assault

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Albany County District Attorney's Office (ACDAO) announced that Thomas Spears, of Cohoes, pleaded guilty on Friday to all counts in an indictment stemming from two assault incidents. Spears, 41, initially pleaded not guilty back in June 2023.

Spears admitted to attacking two people in Cohoes on June 12, 2023. The first assault took place around 3 p.m. near the Columbia Gardens Apartments. The incident involved Spears approaching a woman, grabbing her head, and digging his fingers into her eyes, causing an eye hemorrhage before the victim managed to flee.

Later that night around 11 p.m., investigators determined that Spears stabbed a man in the neck with a screwdriver near the Stewart’s Shops located at 480 Columbia Street. The victim was later treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries at Albany Medical Center.

Both victims were unknown to Spears, according to the ACDAO. He confessed to the charges of second-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault, and first-degree attempted assault before Judge Jennifer Sober in Albany County Court.

Spears is expected to face 17 years in prison as well as five years of probation following his release. He's scheduled to be sentenced on March 28.