The man who brutally ended the life of Sarah McNally is facing over two decades behind bars.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday that Marcin Pieciak had pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree for fatally stabbing his girlfriend, Sarah McNally, at a Maspeth tavern in March, 2024.
McNally, who was from Longford, was working as a bartender when Pieciak stabbed her then slit his own throat.
District Attorney Katz said in a statement: “Marcin Pieciak walked into Sarah McNally’s place of employment and viciously attacked the 41-year-old. The defendant stabbed the victim 19 times, severing her spine, and then stabbed himself as he tried to escape the premises.
"Thankfully, a brave bar patron stopped the defendant and detained him until police arrived. This murder shocked the community and McNally’s loved ones. With this guilty plea, the defendant has been held accountable for his actions.”
Added a statement from the DA's office: "Pieciak, 37, of 76th Street in Glendale, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree in satisfaction of the charges against him. Supreme Court Justice Ushir Pandit-Durant is expected to sentence the defendant on November 21 to 24 years in prison to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.
"DA Katz said that, according to the charges, on March 30, 2024, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Pieciak arrived at the Ceili House Bar at 69-56 Grand Avenue in Maspeth. The defendant walked toward 41-year-old Sarah McNally as she worked, went behind the bar and stabbed her 19 times in the neck, back and chest causing significant wounds and bleeding.
"Pieciak then cut his own throat several times with a second knife and attempted to flee, but a patron intervened and prevented him from leaving the premises. When police arrived, Pieciak exited the premises with the two knives and brandished the weapons toward the officers. Police safely disarmed him and recovered the knives."
McNally was rushed to hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
The DA's office statement concluded: "Assistant District Attorney Gabriel J. Reale of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Veronika Podoprigora under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys John Kosinski, Bureau Chief, and Karen Ross and John Selkowe, Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark."
