Youth gets 7-15 years in prison

Steven Woodson, convicted in last year's Steinberg-Dietrich attack, will likely serve 12-13 years behind bars. Assistant District Attorney Steve Collier, who prosecuted the case, said the sentence means Woodson will probably serve 12 or 13 years in prison. Once he gets out, he will be on probation for another 20 years. The 17-year-old West Philadelphia resident was convicted at a non-jury trial last month of aggravated assault and robbery in connection with the early-morning attack last November 8. Woodson -- who was tried as an adult because of the severity of the charges against him -- was also charged with attempted murder, but Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Patricia McInerney acquitted him on that count. Although McInerney emphasized the very serious nature of the attack, she said she also took Woodson's young age, his potential for rehabilitation and his lack of a prior adult record into consideration when deciding his sentence. "You went the wrong way but you have the potential to come back," she told Woodson before delivering his sentence, warning him that if he does commit another crime after he is out of jail, "you're gone for good." Woodson, who was 16 at the time of the assault in a basement bathroom of the main Wharton School building, was out on bail at the time for burglary and robbery charges. But this was his first charge for a violent offense. The likelihood of a violent crime offender being paroled after their minimum sentence is less than 15 percent, McInerney said. The judge also told Woodson -- who wrote an apology to the victim and his own family but did not speak at the hearing -- that he needed to learn that his actions have consequences for others. "What you did on that day forever alters [the victim's] life," McInerney said, saying that Woodson had instilled a fear and distrust of people in the victim -- who testified at the trial and attended yesterday's sentencing -- that would haunt her for the rest of her life. The victim declined to comment about the sentencing. Collier, who spoke with her after the hearing, said she was "glad to have it behind her." Collier, who said on Monday that Woodson could have been given as much as 26 years in prison, noted that he was disappointed with the sentence. "I hoped that [the sentence] would be higher," he said. Blake Adams, the public defender representing Woodson, said the sentence was fair. She noted that it was a little bit longer than the 40- to 54-month sentences recommended by the state for this type of case. Before the sentence was handed down, Adams reminded the courtroom of a psychological evaluation of Woodson done earlier in the year which said he was amenable to rehabilitation within a structured sentence. Woodson began rehabilitation while awaiting trial. Adams also pointed out that although Woodson allegedly committed other crimes in addition to last year's attack, all three of the incidents occurred within a four-month period. "You're not dealing with somebody who did something and then was sent away [and] treated and then did this all over again," she said. During the 40-minute hearing, Collier recounted the details of the attack for the courtroom, pointing out the several times Woodson could have fled but instead stayed in the bathroom with the victim. At one point during the assault, Collier said the victim, still screaming, knocked the 10-inch kitchen knife the assailant was using as a weapon out of his hand and onto the floor. "Does he walk out? No, he picks up the knife and slams her head against the wall," Collier said. "There is no excuse for his behavior other than pure malice," he added, noting that Woodson comes from a "good home," and is "an intelligent person."