Chanukah Machete Attacker Judged Incompetent to Stand Trial for Murder Yet Again

By Mindy Cohn

Grafton Thomas, the Chanukah Machete attacker, has dodged being held responsible for his heinous actions yet again as he was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial by a  Rockland County judge earlier today.

The 40-year-old is guilty of brutally stabbing five people with a machete at a Monsey Chanukah celebration in 2019. The most critically injured victim, Josef Neumann, 72, died three months after the attack. Thomas, who has irrevocably changed the lives of those he attacked that fateful night, is consistently being found mentally unfit to stand trial.

Thomas pleaded not guilty to the charges. His case was adjourned until December 2024. The attacker, currently a patient at the Mid-Hudson Psychiatric Center, faces second-degree murder charges and federal hate crime charges. 

“The Rockland County District Attorney's Office is committed to getting justice on behalf of Josef Nuemann, and the others injured during this horrific attack," Scott Waters, Public Information Officer for the Rockland County District Attorney's Office shares with Rockland Daily. "When the defendant is ruled competent, the Office will proceed with prosecution." 

An update is scheduled to be presented to a federal judge in February.