It was a case of cultural differences.
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But a stabbing in this country, for whatever reason, is still against the law.
The Turkish immigrant, Berad Ozdemir, told a Lancaster County judge on Tuesday that the other man had insulted him and his infant son.
"I can't accept this. Maybe in America" people will tolerate the use of profanity, Ozdemir told President Judge Louis J. Farina, "but nobody can curse at my child."
Ozdemir admitted responding to the man's remarks by slashing him with a steak knife and stabbing him in the chest, but maintained he was justified. The man was severely wounded, but survived.
Farina responded by sentencing Ozdemir to 8 to 20 years in state prison.
Despite the "many cultural differences" between Turkish and American societies, Farina told Ozdemir, the comments allegedly made by the victim "in no way justify the assault that occurred."
"The assault was brutal, unprovoked and destructive," Farina continued, and resulted in permanent injury to the victim as well as causing "emotional harm," to the victim's young son, who witnessed the fight.
In addition to the stiff sentence, which was longer than usual for an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Farina ordered Ozdemir to pay a $500 fine and make $7,693 in restitution.
Ozdemir received a lesser concurrent sentence for recklessly endangering another person. The attempted voluntary manslaughter was merged with the assault charge for sentencing.
The incident happened in June 2007, according to East Cocalico Township police, when Ozdemir went to the home of a business acquaintance on Homestead Drive, Denver, to ask him for money that was owed to him.
Ozdemir told Farina that he told the man, also a Turkish immigrant, that he needed the money for his then-3-month-old son and to pay bills.
The Denver man responded with obscenities, cursing the child and saying he did not have the money, Ozdemir said, and a fight broke out.
The victim, police said, sustained two cuts to his right underarm area — one of which was 8 inches long — and a puncture stab wound to the upper chest. He was hospitalized and identified Ozdemir to police as his assailant.
Ozdemir, now 33, of Pottstown, told Farina through an interpreter on Tuesday that while he admitted to the assault, he objected to the charge of attempted voluntary manslaughter.
"This case is not attempted murder, Ozdemir told Farina. "You don't kill somebody by cutting their arm...if somebody's arm is cut off and they reach the hospital three or four hours later, they can still live."
During a 40-minute speech, Ozdemir went on to tell the judge that when confronted by East Cocalico Township Police Detective Keith Neff about the incident, he promised to turn himself in after visiting his son. Ozdemir said he was good for his word and later turned himself in to state police.
Defense attorney Beverly Rampaul told the judge that Ozdemir quit school when he was 11 to support his family in Turkey. Ten years later, she said, Ozdemir came to this country and worked as a painter. He takes medication for anger management, she added.
"He does understand that what may be acceptable in his culture may not be acceptable here," Rampaul said, adding that her client faces deportation after completing his prison sentence.
Assistant District Attorney Andrew Gonzalez asked the judge to order Ozdemir to have no contact with the victim or the victim's family in the future.
Staff writer Janet Kelley can be reached at jkelley@LNPnews.com or 481-6026.
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