Man sentenced to 3 years for assault on pregnant Stamford woman

STAMFORD — A New York man was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for breaking into a pregnant woman’s Stamford home and assaulting her in February 2021.

In September, 29-year-old Marc Emanuel, of Mount Vernon, pleaded guilty as a part of a deal with state prosecutors to first-degree burglary, second-degree assault on a pregnant person, violation of a condition of release and violation of a protective order.

Under the agreement, Emanuel agreed to a prison sentence of 10 years, suspended after three years served, followed by five years of probation.

At Emanuel’s sentencing in the state Superior Court in Stamford Thursday, the woman in the case spoke on his behalf, saying that she felt Emanuel should serve no jail time.

“I know this isn’t an accurate depiction of who he is as a person,” the woman told Judge Bruce Hudock prior to sentencing.

Emanuel’s attorney, Edward J. Gavin, said the burglary and assault happened when Emanuel learned of the woman’s pregnancy, then “turned to alcohol” and “was not himself.”

In February 2021, Emanuel broke into the woman’s home; during a confrontation, Emanuel threw the woman — who was five weeks pregnant and who had a protective order against him — against a wall and attempted to strangle her.

When Emanuel was brought to the police department and given an opportunity to speak with an attorney, he instead called and texted the woman even though the protective order prohibited him from contacting her, Manning said.

In March 2021, Emanuel again called the woman, who was 11 weeks pregnant at the time, and threatened to stab her 11 times, prosecutors said.

Since then, Gavin said Emanuel has undergone counseling. As of Thursday, Gavin said his client has also been nearly three years sober and was continuing to work on himself.

“Marc’s the kind of guy you want as your next-door neighbor,” Gavin said Thursday.

Before being sentenced, Emanuel accepted responsibility for the actions that led to his arrest.

“I accept the charges and I’m ready for what’s next,” Emanuel said.