The Geneseo student accused of a Letchworth Drive stabbing is scheduled to appear in Village of Geneseo Justice Court for trial on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
The defendant, freshman Daniel Achstatter, is charged with assault in the second degree and has entered a plea of not guilty.
The incident, originally thought to be racially-motivated, occurred during the early morning of Oct. 1 on Letchworth Drive. In this incident, Achstatter allegedly stabbed two other students who had "verbally and physically threatened" him, according to defense attorney Greg McCaffrey of Jones and Skivington, Esqs.
Prosecuting the case is Livingston County District Attorney Thomas Moran, who could not be reached for comment.
Achstatter, who did not respond to e-mails and phone requests for comment, was suspended from the Geneseo campus immediately following the incident for roughly one week. Following a college judicial committee hearing on Oct. 12, he was permitted to return to Jones Hall.
However, according to McCaffrey, key witnesses and University Police were not present at the judicial hearing despite invitations from the college and requests for their appearance from the defense team.
The names of witnesses and victims have not been released to the public, to the defendant, or to the associates of Jones and Skivington.
UP Assistant Chief Scott Kenney declined to comment on the matter.
Dean of Students Lenny Sancilio, however, said, "In concurrent cases where the issue is a campus and judicial matter, University Police takes action under the guidance of the district attorney. UP does not want its actions to negatively impact the court case, so it doesn't release information that the court can potentially evaluate."
To McCaffrey, however, "apparently it was easier to read the [UP] report in the hearing than to actually have them testify and be subjected to our client's questions."
Achstatter is expected to appear in court at 5:30 p.m.