Buffalo man pleads guilty for beating victim with wood board

Submitted by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced 36-year-old Richard C. Frazier of Buffalo pleaded guilty yesterday morning before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case to one count of attempted assault in the first degree (class “C” violent felony). The defendant pleaded guilty to the highest count in the indictment against him.

On April 14, 2023, at approximately 11 p.m., the defendant assaulted the victim by beating him repeatedly with his fists and a wooden board. The crime occurred on East Utica Street near the NFTA Metro Rail Station in the City of Buffalo. The victim, a 29-year-old man, was found unconscious the next morning with injuries to his head and jaw. The victim, who was not known to the defendant, was taken by ambulance to ECMC. He continues to recover from serious physical injuries.

Frazier faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on Monday, Dec. 11. He continues to be held without bail.

DA Flynn commends the Buffalo Police Department and Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) Police for their work in this investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Chief Andres D. Ortiz of the Buffalo City Court bureau.