Christopher Joseph received 8½ years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder in the March 2025 attack on Kaitlynn Berman.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — A Bronx woman who survived being stabbed 22 times faced the man who attacked her in court Wednesday as he was sentenced to 8½ years in prison, a punishment she and her supporters said did not reflect the lasting damage caused by the attack.
Kaitlynn Berman appeared for the sentencing of Christopher Joseph, 23, who pleaded guilty Sept. 16 to second-degree attempted murder. Joseph admitted during the plea proceeding that he tried to kill Berman during the March 22, 2025, attack inside her Wakefield apartment. In addition to the prison term, Joseph was sentenced to five years of post-release supervision. An order of protection was also issued barring him from contacting Berman, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
The attack left Berman with serious and lasting injuries. She has said she suffered permanent nerve damage, including problems affecting her face and hands, and has struggled with her independence and ability to work. She spent weeks hospitalized and underwent multiple surgeries after the stabbing. Berman’s young daughter was also inside the apartment when the attack occurred.
Police arrested Joseph the day after the stabbing. Authorities said he had taken Berman’s cellphone and thousands of dollars in cash after the attack. He initially faced a larger group of charges, including attempted murder, attempted assault, robbery and weapons offenses. Joseph later resolved the case by pleading guilty to second-degree attempted murder rather than going to trial.
Berman had repeatedly said before the sentencing that she believed a proposed prison term of about 10 years was too short. In a June interview with News 12, she said 22 years would sound fair to her, referring to the number of times she was stabbed. Her objections continued after Wednesday’s hearing, when supporters described her as overwhelmed by the final sentence.
Bishop Boyde Singletary, one of Berman’s supporters, said after court that she remained deeply affected by the attack and the sentencing outcome. “We are not satisfied. She is not satisfied,” Singletary told NBC New York. He said Berman continues to live with nerve damage, pain and trauma stemming from the attack. Joseph declined to address the court at sentencing, NBC New York reported.
The case had drawn attention before Joseph’s guilty plea because he was released from custody while the prosecution was pending. In December 2025, a judge released him on his own recognizance after prosecutors failed to meet a deadline connected to his continued detention. The Bronx District Attorney’s Office previously said it had sought $1 million cash bail. Berman publicly criticized Joseph’s release and said she feared for her safety while he remained out of custody.
Further delays followed as the case moved toward trial. A June trial date was postponed, and another scheduled proceeding was affected by a strike involving Bronx public defenders. Joseph eventually appeared in court in September and pleaded guilty. At that proceeding, the judge indicated an expected sentence of 8½ years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
Berman has described the consequences of the attack as extending well beyond her physical injuries. In earlier interviews, she said she was afraid to go outside alone and remained anxious that something could happen to her. She has also said the injuries affected movement in her hands and caused lasting problems on the right side of her face. Her supporters have argued that those continuing effects should have resulted in a longer prison term.
Wednesday’s sentencing brings the criminal case against Joseph to a close under the terms of his guilty plea, while Berman continues to recover from injuries she has said permanently changed her life. Supporters said they planned to continue raising concerns about the sentence with the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
Author note: Last updated November 5, 2026.