Man Sentenced To 48 Years For Jimmy's Seafood Stabbings
DUNDALK, Md. (WJZ) -- A man convicted of stabbing four people in Jimmy's Famous Seafood on Holabird Avenue has been sentenced to 48 years in prison. Kevin Tusing was found guilty of first- and second-degree assault and other charges.
Tusing had recently been released from prison when the attack occurred, WJZ's Pat Warren reports.
In 2005, Tusing pleaded guilty to manslaughter and to stabbing a man outside a Fells Point bar. Three months after his release on parole, he stabbed four more people.
At 2 a.m. on October 9, four people were stabbed in Jimmy's Famous Seafood, sending police on a manhunt and leaving patrons in shock.
"I literally automatically dropped to my knees in tears, started freaking out. I had to have five people pull me off of them. It was one of my best friends who had been injured multiple times," said Amanda Brilhart, patron.
Tusing was caught on surveillance camera leaving the bar with what appeared to be a knife in his hand, followed by one of the victims, with blood on his shirt and pants.
Prosecutors made their case with the help of the victims who took the stand.
"And the theme with all the witnesses in this case wasn't so much how much they got hurt themselves personally, which some of them were hurt very severely, but the overwhelming thing they always told me was they just wanted to make sure this never happened to anybody else," said Dennis Laye, assistant state's attorney.
The investigation revealed that Tusing had grabbed a woman's breast, and when confronted by employees and other patrons as he tried to leave, pulled out a knife, cutting and stabbing.
"If members of the community are available to come out and protect their own community, then they can use us as their tools to help them make their community safer. But without their help, we're like a mechanic without any tools," said Laye.
A jury found Tusing guilty in May.
In addition to the assault charges, Tusing was convicted of reckless endangerment and use of a deadly weapon.
The Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office says it has made going after repeat offenders a top priority.
