Ithaca College

To the Ithaca College Community:

I write this message with a heavy heart, as a Tompkins County Court jury today returned a partial verdict in the trial of the man accused of killing Anthony Nazaire ’19 and wounding another Ithaca College student, who were both stabbed following a party on the Cornell University campus early on the morning of August 28, 2016.

Nagee Green has been found guilty of second-degree assault for the stabbing of the student who survived, whom we are not naming in order to protect his privacy.

After lengthy deliberations, the jury remained deadlocked on the charges related to Anthony’s death, and the judge has declared an end to the trial. The District Attorney has indicated that he will seek a retrial on those charges.

I know this result brings no measure of relief or closure for Anthony’s family and friends, those who taught and studied with him in the School of Business, and the wider Ithaca College community.

Still, we fully respect the judicial process. We want to commend the many officers and investigators from local law enforcement agencies who spent countless hours working on this case, the prosecutors who brought the case to trial, and the jurors who gave deep consideration to the evidence in an attempt to reach a verdict.

We also want to thank the members of the campus and local communities who provided evidence, especially those who testified at the trial. We know that this was a particularly difficult and emotional experience for them to have to recount the details of the tragic event.

The outcome of the trial and the related media coverage are likely to renew our community’s feelings of grief and anger. We have experienced a tremendous loss with Anthony’s death, and I encourage each of us to continue to reach out to one another for support and comfort now and when the campus comes back together in the fall.

As always, students needing support in difficult times can find assistance through the Ithaca College Center for Counseling and Psychological Services by calling 607-274-3136, while faculty and staff can speak to a counselor through the Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-327-2255.

Please keep Anthony’s mother, sister, and family in your thoughts. In the weeks, months, and years ahead, we can best honor Anthony’s legacy and spirit by continuing to celebrate his life, and by remembering and emulating the positive impact he had on our campus and on so many other people’s lives.

Tom Rochon
President