Guilty Plea In Fatal Stabbing Of Peekskill Teen

PEEKSKILL, NY — Guilty pleas were entered in court this month in the stabbing death of a teenager and the assault of a jail inmate.

According to Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah, Jahliv Niles of Peekskill pleaded guilty May 11 to first-degree manslaughter for the stabbing death of 17-year-old Omarion McKenzie.

Niles is expected to be sentenced Aug. 19 to 18 years in prison plus five years post-release supervision.

He also pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, stemming from a May 2020 attack on a fellow detainee at the Westchester County Jail, where Niles has been held since his arrest following the Peekskill stabbing death.

For the assault, he is expected to be sentenced to two years in prison plus three years post-release supervision. That sentence will be served concurrently with his manslaughter charge sentence.

Authorities said, on March 27, 2020, Niles, who was 18 at the time, approached McKenzie, who was a senior at Peekskill High School, and stabbed him in the chest, stomach and back.

McKenzie was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Niles was arrested by Peekskill police shortly thereafter.

Rocah called the stabbing a senseless crime and terrible tragedy for McKenzie's family and friends, as well as the community.

"Our hearts go out to them," she said. "At the sentencing later this year, they will have the opportunity to tell the court about how this loss has impacted them and we will work to ensure Jahliv Niles is held accountable for his actions."

Like Hudson Valley Patches' Facebook Pages.