The Ashley Berger case is a Niagara Falls, New York, homicide in which Ashley Marie Berger pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter for the 2014 stabbing death of 22-year-old Richard Christian Jr., received the maximum 15-year prison sentence, and more than a decade later was denied a reduced sentence under New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act.
The 2014 Stabbing at the Rodeway Inn
In the early morning hours of April 27, 2014, Niagara Falls police responded to the Rodeway Inn on Main Street and found Richard Christian Jr. with a stab wound to the chest. He was taken to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Christian was 22, a father of two, and worked as a tire builder for Dunlop in Niagara Falls.1Spectrum News. Berger Sentenced2Zajac Funeral Home. Obituary of Richard A. Christian Jr. His killing was the first homicide in the city that year.3Niagara Gazette. Falls Murder Victim ID’d; Motive for Stabbing Still Under Investigation
Investigators concluded that Berger, then 31, and Christian had gone to the motel for an act of prostitution. Berger was the only suspect. She was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.4Niagara Gazette. Falls Woman Charged in Fatal Stabbing
The Guilty Plea and 15-Year Sentence
In November 2014, Berger pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter. She admitted in her plea that she stabbed Christian after he tried to retrieve the $100 he had paid her for sex.5Yahoo News. Judge Rejects Request for Resentencing in 2014 Stabbing Death She had no prior criminal record.6Yahoo News. Convicted Falls Murderer Asks for Reduction
On March 3, 2015, Berger was sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision, the maximum allowed under the manslaughter charge.7WIVB. Woman Guilty of Stabbing Man Sentenced for Manslaughter Prosecutors told the court there had been no struggle and that Berger killed Christian to keep the money he was demanding back. Berger’s attorney called it a “tragic incident” of self-defense and pointed to an abusive childhood as context.1Spectrum News. Berger Sentenced
Christian’s sister, Jennifer Nageotte, spoke at sentencing. She rejected the self-defense claim and disagreed with the plea deal. “I don’t think that’s enough time for any life at all,” she told the court.1Spectrum News. Berger Sentenced
Berger’s Motion for Resentencing
New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, signed into law in 2019, lets a judge reduce a sentence when a defendant shows they were a victim of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse by a family or household member at the time of the offense, and that the abuse was a “significant contributing factor” in the crime.8Yahoo News. Convicted Falls Killer Testifies at Domestic Violence Hearing
After serving roughly 10 years, Berger filed for resentencing under the DVSJA. Niagara County Court Judge John Ottaviano held evidentiary hearings across five days between June and October 2025.5Yahoo News. Judge Rejects Request for Resentencing in 2014 Stabbing Death
Berger, represented by attorney Dara Sheinfeld, testified for more than two hours at the July 2025 hearing. She described sexual abuse beginning at age three by her mother’s ex-boyfriend and later by her stepfather. She said a long-term partner broke her nose and put her head through a window while she was pregnant. At the time of the killing, she testified, a man identified in court only as “E.C.” had forced her into sex work, controlled her clients through online ads, and took her earnings.8Yahoo News. Convicted Falls Killer Testifies at Domestic Violence Hearing
She also offered a fuller account of the stabbing than she had given at her plea. Berger said Christian paid $100 for sex and then removed the condom he was wearing. She said E.C. required her to enforce condom use. When she tried to call a friend, she testified, Christian slapped the phone from her hand and punched her in the head. She said she took a knife from under the mattress and stabbed him when he lunged at her.9CNHI News. Celebrated Expert Says 2014 Murder Was Triggered by Berger’s Prior Abuse
Clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Dawn Hughes testified for Berger. Hughes described her as a survivor of “severe” trauma who exhibited “dissociative behavior” at the time of the stabbing, and said the abuse by Berger’s pimp and boyfriend “heavily contributed” to the criminal conduct.9CNHI News. Celebrated Expert Says 2014 Murder Was Triggered by Berger’s Prior Abuse10Niagara Gazette. Niagara County Court Judge Weighing Reduction in Murder Case Sentencing
First Assistant Niagara County District Attorney Doreen Hoffmann opposed the motion. She argued that Berger and Hughes had “tailored their testimony to fit the requirements of the DVSJA,” and called Berger “less than truthful” about the events leading up to the stabbing.11Niagara Gazette. Judge Rejects Request for Resentencing in 2014 Falls Stabbing Death
Why the Judge Denied Resentencing
On March 17, 2026, Judge Ottaviano issued a nine-page decision denying the motion. He accepted that Berger had been forced into sex work by her boyfriend and that this constituted “a form of abuse” by a “family member” within the meaning of the statute. That finding alone was not enough.11Niagara Gazette. Judge Rejects Request for Resentencing in 2014 Falls Stabbing Death
The DVSJA also required Berger to show that the abuse was a significant contributing factor in the killing. Ottaviano found she had not. The evidence, he wrote, “did not demonstrate a sufficient connection between the alleged abuse and her behavior against Mr. Christian.” Her actions, he concluded, appeared “driven by anger toward Christian rather than anything connected to her boyfriend’s abuse.”5Yahoo News. Judge Rejects Request for Resentencing in 2014 Stabbing Death
Because the abuse was not found to be a significant factor in the crime, the judge said he did not need to decide the separate question of whether the 15-year sentence was “unduly harsh.”11Niagara Gazette. Judge Rejects Request for Resentencing in 2014 Falls Stabbing Death
Where the DVSJA Stands After Berger
Berger’s ruling came weeks before the New York Court of Appeals decided People v. N.H. in April 2026. In that decision, the court held that the right to a DVSJA hearing cannot be waived as a condition of a plea agreement, reasoning that the statute was meant to correct a “systemic failure” in sentencing domestic violence survivors and that permitting plea waivers would “eviscerate” the remedy for the majority of defendants whose cases end in pleas.12New York State Unified Court System. People v N.H., 2026 NY Slip Op 02437 Access to a hearing is one question; meeting the statute’s burden of proof at that hearing, as the Berger ruling shows, is another.