Man Convicted of Rochester Christmas Eve Stabbing Avoids Prison

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - An Olmsted County judge today granted a defense request for a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines in the case of a Mississippi man convicted of a stabbing in Rochester on Christmas Eve in 2021.

An Olmsted County jury found 23-year-old Tashun Haywood guilty of first and second-degree assault charges during a trial that was held in June. He was accused of stabbing a man multiple times with a pocketknife during a fight at a Northeast Rochester apartment complex.

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According to the criminal complaint, the victim suffered stab wounds to his neck, abdomen, and arm. It also stated that medical personnel at the St. Marys Hospital Emergency Department had to perform "life saving measures."

Despite objections from the Olmsted County Attorney's Office, the judge in the case sentenced Haywood to six months in jail with credit for 75 days he has already spent in custody. He was also placed on probation for five years and given a stayed 86 month prison sentence.

In granting the downward departure in sentencing, the judge cited a presentence investigation that found the victim was the aggressor in the incident, Haywood has expressed remorse and has accepted responsibility for his actions, and that he is particularly amenable to probation.

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