A proposed plea deal for a student charged in an attack in the Kingston High School (KHS) cafeteria last May has been rejected by Ulster County Judge Bryan Rounds.
Ty’Juan Gray was set to plead guilty to second-degree assault in exchange for a three-year jail sentence, but in a court appearance on Tuesday, October 3, Rounds said the evidence against the 17-year old was severe enough that he would instead offer a deal of seven years, the maximum allowable. Both Gray and an unnamed 15-year-old were initially indicted on one count of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault.
On May 3, an unnamed victim was attacked in the KHS cafeteria by Gray and the 15-year-old, the incident lasting approximately 18 seconds before being broken up by Kingston High School security. A hold-in-place lasting around 45 minutes was issued while first responders cared for the victim, who was then hospitalized. Students in the cafeteria were moved into the auditorium during this time.
In a viral video recorded by at least one student on a Smartphone, authorities identified the 15-year old as kicking the victim in the head while Gray leapt from a cafeteria table onto the victim’s head. Attorneys for the victim have said the attack was coordinated by the pair and may also have included a student who recorded the incident and an onlooker.
According to authorities, the victim sustained a skull fracture, and trauma and bleeding on the brain, and underwent an emergency procedure at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla to remove part of his skull to relieve pressure on the brain. He has since been released from the hospital. Whether he fully recovers remains to be seen, but according to officials, he has no memory of his attack.
Gray was absent from last week’s proceedings because prosecutors did not request that he be transferred from youth detention in Onondaga County by the Division of Family and Children Services. Gray is slated to appear in court on Wednesday, October 18 to share whether he will accept Rounds’ plea deal. If not, Gray will stand trial for first-degree assault, which carries a maximum of 25 years in state prison.
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