Final Defendant Is Sentenced in Howard Beach Racial Attack

A judge Friday sentenced the last defendant and sole informant in the Howard Beach racial attack, saying the teen-ager deserved jail because he cooperated with prosecutors only to get a good deal for himself.

State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Demakos sentenced Robert Riley, 19, son of a corrections officer and brother of a policeman, to six months in prison, five years of probation and 400 hours of community service.

Riley originally was charged with murder in the case but was allowed to plead guilty to assault as a youthful offender in return for testifying for the prosecution.

On hearing his sentence, Riley embraced his brother, and his mother collapsed.

Demakos scoffed at Riley’s plea that he cooperated to assuage his conscience over the attack.

“Rather (it was) the realization that he had to make as good a deal as he could for himself. Therefore, jail time is in order here.”

The sentence was handed down in the Queens courtroom where three other teen-agers were sentenced Monday to serve weekends in jail for four months and perform 200 hours of community service.

The three were convicted on misdemeanor riot charges for their role in the Dec. 20, 1986, attack in which a group of white youths wielding a baseball bat and tree limbs chased Michael Griffith, 23, who was black, onto a highway. Griffith was struck and killed by a car. Another black man, Cedric Sandiford, 37, was severely beaten.

Griffith, Sandiford and a companion were in Howard Beach, a predominantly white neighborhood in Queens, after their car broke down on a nearby highway.

Three other youths were convicted of manslaughter and related charges in the attack.

Jon Lester, 18, described by Demakos as the “instigator” of the attack, was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for manslaughter, assault and conspiracy. Scott Kern, 19, convicted of manslaughter and assault, was sentenced to 6 to 18 years, and Jason Landone, 17, also convicted of manslaughter and assault, was given up to 15 years.