Branford Man Gets 10 Years For Beating Retired Cop With Bat

Earlier this week, Branford resident Neil Amendola was sentenced to 20 years in prison, suspended after 10, for beating a fellow Branford man with a baseball bat and nearly killing him.

The New Haven Register reports that on March 12, 2011, Neil Amendola assaulted William Stewart, a retired police officer, with a baseball bat. Stewart suffered such severe brain damage from the assault that he had to relearn how to walk, talk, chew and swallow.

“I am imposing a sentence that I think is reasonable under ... the circumstances but does not reflect what this family has been through,” Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Clifford said, according to the newspaper. “I don’t expect this family to walk out of this courtroom with any great feelings toward the judicial system.” 

To read more about the sentencing, click here.