Remaining defendants involved in Norwich gang assault plead guilty
NORWICH – The last half of four co-defendants involved in a robbery, gang assault pleaded guilty on Monday and are facing varying times in jail.
The four defendants in the case, Jade Orlando, 19, Landon T. Cummings, 21, Hunter J. Speenburgh, 19, and Brenden C. Gager, 18, were indicted with several violent felonies, including two counts of robbery, a gang assault and an assault.
Speenburgh and Gager pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, a class D felony on Monday. They were allowed to choose between a year in jail or six months in jail with five years probation as part of their deal.
The co-defendants, Cummings and Orlando, received plea agreements in January that allowed them to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault, serving only sixty days in jail, three years probation and 16 hours community service.
According to Orlando, at around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2018 the defendants lured a 20-year-old victim into a violent ambush at 110 Royal Ave in Norwich, stealing his valuables and leaving him semi-unconscious beneath a car with a fractured eye socket and a number of his teeth knocked out.
Sheriff’s Office officials said Orlando lured the victim to that location by requesting marijuana be delivered to her residence. They added after the assault, the victim was transported to Chenango Memorial Hospital with severe injuries including missing teeth, lacerations to the head, and additional trauma.
Speenburgh appeared in court first and chose a year in jail. Gager appeared in court next and he accepted the six month split.
Gager’s Defense Attorney Paul Battisti said it’s up to the court to decide how much of the six month sentence Gager will spend in jail.
Battisti said Gager has been receiving mental health treatment since the assault. He said Gager has also secured a job that he might lose if he goes to jail.
Chenango County Judge Frank Revoir Jr., then explained to Gager how the plea deal could work.
“If you were to accept this plea deal, I would have the right to sentence you up to the maximum of six months in the Chenango County Correctional Facility,” said Revoir. “That also means that the court, looking at everything, could set the sentence at as little as no jail time.”
Gager accepted the plea deal, and is expected to return to court for sentencing in approximately eight weeks.
First hand account of the assault
In January, Cummings testified about the incident in detail and said afterwards the group left the victim laying on the ground making sounds.
“I – my friends had the idea to go there and get the pot from [the victim] and I was dumb enough to go along,” said Cummings.
He said Orlando was the one who actually planned the attack, and Speenburgh and Gager acted out the worst parts of the crime.
According to Cummings, he waited with Speenburgh and Gager outside of 110 Royal Ave in he Town of Norwich, and then they launched the attack, not him.
Cummings said he eventually joined in the attack, and admitted that he punched the victim “three or four times.”
Gager punched and kicked the victim, he said, and he also confirmed Gager kicked the victim in the head.
Cummings did not recall how the victim’s teeth were knocked out, but did imply they continued to beat the victim, even after he fell to the ground, moaning. He said no one stole anything, but Gager did take the pot.
When asked how they left the victim Cummings responded, “Laying there,” making sounds.
– Tyler Murphy, Evening Sun Managing Editor contributed to this story
The four defendants in the case, Jade Orlando, 19, Landon T. Cummings, 21, Hunter J. Speenburgh, 19, and Brenden C. Gager, 18, were indicted with several violent felonies, including two counts of robbery, a gang assault and an assault.
Speenburgh and Gager pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, a class D felony on Monday. They were allowed to choose between a year in jail or six months in jail with five years probation as part of their deal.
The co-defendants, Cummings and Orlando, received plea agreements in January that allowed them to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault, serving only sixty days in jail, three years probation and 16 hours community service.
According to Orlando, at around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2018 the defendants lured a 20-year-old victim into a violent ambush at 110 Royal Ave in Norwich, stealing his valuables and leaving him semi-unconscious beneath a car with a fractured eye socket and a number of his teeth knocked out.
Sheriff’s Office officials said Orlando lured the victim to that location by requesting marijuana be delivered to her residence. They added after the assault, the victim was transported to Chenango Memorial Hospital with severe injuries including missing teeth, lacerations to the head, and additional trauma.
Speenburgh appeared in court first and chose a year in jail. Gager appeared in court next and he accepted the six month split.
Gager’s Defense Attorney Paul Battisti said it’s up to the court to decide how much of the six month sentence Gager will spend in jail.
Battisti said Gager has been receiving mental health treatment since the assault. He said Gager has also secured a job that he might lose if he goes to jail.
Chenango County Judge Frank Revoir Jr., then explained to Gager how the plea deal could work.
“If you were to accept this plea deal, I would have the right to sentence you up to the maximum of six months in the Chenango County Correctional Facility,” said Revoir. “That also means that the court, looking at everything, could set the sentence at as little as no jail time.”
Gager accepted the plea deal, and is expected to return to court for sentencing in approximately eight weeks.
First hand account of the assault
In January, Cummings testified about the incident in detail and said afterwards the group left the victim laying on the ground making sounds.
“I – my friends had the idea to go there and get the pot from [the victim] and I was dumb enough to go along,” said Cummings.
He said Orlando was the one who actually planned the attack, and Speenburgh and Gager acted out the worst parts of the crime.
According to Cummings, he waited with Speenburgh and Gager outside of 110 Royal Ave in he Town of Norwich, and then they launched the attack, not him.
Cummings said he eventually joined in the attack, and admitted that he punched the victim “three or four times.”
Gager punched and kicked the victim, he said, and he also confirmed Gager kicked the victim in the head.
Cummings did not recall how the victim’s teeth were knocked out, but did imply they continued to beat the victim, even after he fell to the ground, moaning. He said no one stole anything, but Gager did take the pot.
When asked how they left the victim Cummings responded, “Laying there,” making sounds.
– Tyler Murphy, Evening Sun Managing Editor contributed to this story
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