D.A. Bragg announces guilty plea in fatal East Village stabbing spree on 14th Street

Reader photo from June 23, 2024

A June 2024 stabbing spree that shocked neighbors and reignited calls for a safer 14th Street/First Avenue corridor moved closer to its legal conclusion this week. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced yesterday that Alejandro Piedra, 31, pleaded guilty to Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree and Assault in the Second Degree for the fatal stabbing of Clemson Cockfield, 38, and the wounding of two others in the East Village. 

Under the terms of the plea, Piedra is expected to be sentenced on April 20 to 18 years to life in state prison, according to the D.A.'s office. 

"Alejandro Piedra escalated to deadly violence when he brutally stabbed three individuals in a busy neighborhood in the span of minutes," Bragg said in a statement. "As a result of this horrific conduct, Clemson Cockfield's life was tragically taken, and Mr. Cockfield's wife was seriously injured. I hope their family and loved ones can take comfort knowing there is accountability in this matter." 

According to court documents and statements, Piedra was previously acquainted with Cockfield. The violence unfolded in two confrontations on the afternoon of June 23, 2024, beginning around 5:38 p.m. near the corner of 13th Street and First Avenue. 

The D.A.'s office said Piedra got into a physical altercation with Cockfield, Cockfield's 40-year-old wife, and their 31-year-old acquaintance. During the dispute, Cockfield and the 31-year-old each approached Piedra, holding a piece of wood. 

Authorities said Piedra then pulled out a knife and stabbed the 31-year-old in the torso and head. The group separated and walked away in opposite directions. The injured man later stopped at 13th Street and Avenue A, where he received assistance and was taken to the hospital. 

About 12 minutes later, at approximately 5:50 p.m., Cockfield and his wife were walking on 14th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A when they noticed Piedra heading toward them from the opposite direction, the D.A.'s office said. A second fight broke out between Cockfield and Piedra. 

Authorities said a bystander hit Piedra in the back of the head with a lamp during the fight. When the men briefly separated, Piedra allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed Cockfield's wife several times, then turned and stabbed Cockfield in the face and neck. 

Cockfield was pronounced dead at the hospital. His wife, who was initially in critical condition, required emergency surgery, according to the D.A.'s office.

Piedra was arrested at the scene, and police recovered a knife, Bragg's office reported. 

In the weeks following the stabbings, the NYPD was a regular presence on the block, both on foot patrols and in patrol cars. The NYPD also installed three light towers south of 14th Street between A and First. Residents said they saw improvements along the block. 

In early August 2024, Mayor Adams unveiled the 14th Street Community Improvement Coalition, a multi-agency approach across city agencies to address quality-of-life issues along the problematic corridor between Avenue A and First Avenue, as well as on surrounding streets. 

A centerpiece of the plan included a $1 million investment in a new Mobile Command Center. However, that center never arrived as the mayor became engulfed in one scandal after another. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Reports of multiple people stabbed on 14th Street between Avenue A and 1st Avenue; 1 fatality (June 23, 2024)

• A look at 14th Street this morning after the triple stabbing and homicide (June 24)

• NYPD light tower arrives on a cleaned-up SE corner of 14th Street and 1st Avenue (June 27) 

• A look at 14th Street and 1st Avenue — 'a New York Block No One Can Fix' (July 10) 

• From the archives: A documentary short about the intersection of 14th Street and 1st Avenue (July 11)

• Mayor Adams unveils the 14th Street Community Improvement Coalition for the long-problematic East Village corridor (Aug. 9, 2024) 

• Where is the $1 million NYPD mobile command unit that Mayor Adams promised for the troubled 14th Street and 1st Avenue corridor? (Oct. 24, 2024)