GENESEE COUNTY, N.Y. (WKBW) — The man who admitted to his role in the death of a Genesee County Sheriff's Sergeant will now spend 20 years behind bars.
A judge sentenced 33-year-old Michael Elmore this morning, nine months after he attacked Sergeant Thomas Sanfratello at Batavia Downs.
Sanfratello was attempting to arrest Elmore and 39-year-old Lyndsey Wilcox after an altercation at the casino. Elmore then used a piece of thick jewelry to beat the sergeant and put him in a chokehold. Sanfratello died shortly after.
"He will never be forgotten and he will be missed immensely by all that not only had the chance to know him, but talk to him. And he will always be loved," Ian Sanfratello, the son Thomas Sanfratello, said in March while speaking alongside several Genesee County sheriff's deputies and Batavia police officers during a news conference.
His children and several members of the law enforcement community were in court for the sentencing on Tuesday. They described the day as emotional, one that reminded them of their loss.
Elmore pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter last month and got the maximum sentence for that charge today.
The Genesee County District Attorney said the turnout at Elmore's sentencing is a testament to Sergeant Sanfratello's impact on his community.
Wilcox is also charged in connection with Sanfratello's death. While he was trying to take her into custody she became physically combative. She pleaded guilty to assault last month and will be sentenced in January.
