Metro attack accused sentenced to 84 months in prison

By Lindsay Mutzman
– June 10, 2024
Daily Stories | stab | Suspects |

Maribeth Raffinan, Washington Superior Court Judge sentenced a stabbing defendant to seven years in prison in connection with an attack on a metro train on June 7.

Michael Harrington, 43, was initially charged with assault with intent to kill while armed for his involvement in a non-fatal assault aboard a subway train at the Navy Yard station in the 2000 block of 1200 houses of Half Street, SE, on September 3. 2023. A woman was seriously injured during the incident.

According to court documents, Harrington attacked the victim without provocation, stabbing her multiple times in the head and body, telling her he would kill her.

On March 5, 2024, Harrington accepted a plea deal from Alford, which required Harrington to agree that the prosecution could establish his guilt, but he was not required to admit the facts of the case. The plea required Harrington to plead guilty to assault with intent to kill, in exchange for the prosecution not seeking an indictment.

During the hearing, the prosecution told Judge Raffinan the victim “thought she was going to die” during the offense and continues to be extremely vulnerable.

According to the prosecution, at the time of the incident, Harrington, known for his mental health and substance abuse issues, was intoxicated, which caused his perception of the incident and played a role in his incapacitation to remember what happened. .

However, Jesse Winograd, Harrington's defense attorney, told Judge Raffinan that Harrington is a “completely different person” when he takes medication that helps his mental health issues. According to Winograd, Harrington's mother had previously tried to get him help, but was unsuccessful.

According to Winograd, Harrington was suffering from a “dissociation from reality” at the time of the incident, which he said was caused by intoxication.

“I wanted to apologize to the victims. I’m really sorry,” Harrington told Judge Raffinan.

In addition to the 84 months of incarceration, Judge Raffinan also sentenced Harrington to three years of supervised release with an intervention plan.

No other date has been set.

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