Connecticut man pleads guilty to attacking Muslim state representative
A man who attacked a Muslim state representative outside a prayer service in Connecticut last year has pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault and other crimes in a plea deal that calls for a five-year prison sentence.
HARTFORD, Conn. — A man who attacked a Muslim state representative outside a prayer service in Connecticut pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted sexual assault and other crimes in a plea deal that calls for a five-year prison sentence.
Andrey Desmond, 30, appeared in Hartford Superior Court in connection with the June 2023 assault on Rep. Maryam Khan, the first Muslim to serve in the state House of Representatives. He pleaded guilty to attempted third-degree sexual assault, attempted first-degree strangulation and risk of injury to a minor — all felonies, Hearst Connecticut Media Group reported.
Khan’s lawyer, Aaron Romano, told a judge that Khan believed Desmond deserved a longer prison sentence given how serious the attack was. Khan attended the hearing but did not comment afterward.
“Representative Khan is requesting privacy at this time to process today’s events, but she looks forward to her attacker’s sentencing on June 4,” Romano said in a statement later in the day.
Desmond’s attorney, public defender John Stawicki, told Judge David Gold that Desmond wanted to apologize to Khan. Desmond held off on apologizing after Gold warned that anything he said could be used against him if the plea agreement ended up being canceled for any reason.
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