Thomas B. Simcoe of North Tonawanda was sentenced to 55 years to life in prison Friday for his conviction on charges of trying to kill his wife

Thomas B. Simcoe of North Tonawanda was sentenced to 55 years to life in prison Friday for his conviction on charges of trying to kill his wife, Stacey, and a police officer last year. Simcoe was convicted of trying to strangle his wife and of attempting to stab North Tonawanda Officer Jeffrey Smith in the chest three times when he arrived in response to a 911 call from the couple’s son. Smith’s body armor and a cell phone and a notebook in his breast pockets saved him, according to trial testimony. Simcoe, 43, blamed everything on his wife. Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon Sperrazza, who in a nonjury trial convicted Simcoe on 11 counts, including two attempted murder charges, called his version of events “preposterous.”
“This wasn’t a close case,” the judge said. “This was one of the most vicious cases I’ve encountered in 30 years. The testimony of Mr. Simcoe was incredible, not credible.” In an interview, defense attorney Phillip Dabney reiterated his assertion from two months ago that one of the police officers lied on the witness stand. But asked if he still believes in his client’s innocence, Dabney said, “I believe he believes in his innocence.” “She was out to murder me and claim self-defense. It was a conspiracy between her and her lover or lovers,” said Thomas Simcoe. He had testified he kept a short rope, which prosecutors said was knotted at each end for a better grip, so he could use it on a man named Ken, last name never determined, with whom Simcoe said he believed his wife was having an affair. Stacey Simcoe, who was choked into unconsciousness with the rope in their Courtside Drive home in the early hours of Sept. 29, 2007, was tearful as she described the impact of that night on her life and those of the couple’s four children. “Tom, you’re the father. You’re supposed to protect your family. The children went through counseling and still can’t deal with what you have done,” Stacey said. She talked about how she and the children have nightmares and how their son Tommy, who called 911 to summon police during the attack, sleeps with the lights and the TV set on. “The image of me laying in blood is something he’ll live with for the rest of his life,” Stacey said. “I take medications twice a day for skull separation caused by you slamming my head on the floor.”
Assistant District Attorney Lisa M. Baehre choked up as she said, “They will suffer for the rest of their lives because of this defendant’s actions.” “You sat on that [witness] stand and said you strangled me until I stopped breathing, and said your intentions were not to harm me. How could you do that?” Stacey demanded of Thomas. “You need to pay for what you have done.”