Buffalo woman pleads guilty to manslaughter for fatally stabbing her boyfriend

Submitted by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office

Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced 49-year-old Charrinda Gray of Buffalo pleaded guilty yesterday morning before State Supreme Court Justice Paul B. Wojtaszek to one count of manslaughter in the second degree (class “C” felony). The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge in full satisfaction of the indictment.

On Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, at approximately 7:57 p.m., Buffalo Police officers responded to a 911 call for a reported stabbing at a residence on Heward Avenue in the City of Buffalo. Officers found the male victim outside of the home with stab wounds to his abdomen and buttocks. The defendant stabbed the victim, her boyfriend, with a kitchen knife during an argument. The victim, 46-year-old Samuel A. Jackson, was taken by ambulance to ECMC where he died from the injuries.

Gray faces a maximum of 15 years in prison when she is sentenced on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. She remains released on a $250,000 bond previously posted in Buffalo City Court.

Keane commends detectives Erin McCarthy and Anthony Lapiana of the Buffalo Police Department for their work in this investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Hilarie L. Henry of the special victims/domestic violence bureau and former Assistant District Attorney Ryan D. Haggerty.