Former Roosevelt man pleads guilty to fatal stabbing of deacon in halfway house

A former Roosevelt man admitted Monday to murdering a Catholic deacon who managed the halfway house in the hamlet where the deadly stabbing took place in 2017.

Andre Patton, 51, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and weapon charges in connection with the attack on Nov. 3, 2017, at Anthony House — a transitional residence for homeless men.

Law enforcement officials had alleged Patton, a house resident, stabbed Patrick Logsdon more than 20 times with a kitchen knife at about 10 p.m. before fleeing.

Authorities said another resident of the East Roosevelt Avenue home in Roosevelt called 911, but a medic pronounced Logsdon, 68, dead at the scene.

Nassau County Supervising Judge Teresa Corrigan said Monday she planned to sentence Patton to 20 years to life in prison under terms of his guilty plea.

The judge said her sentence commitment, two years less than what prosecutors want, was based in part on Patton’s psychological background and related reports from doctors for the defense and the Nassau district attorney’s office.

Authorities extradited Patton from Memphis, Tennessee, after his arrest on a fugitive warrant about six months after Logsdon's slaying.

Nassau police said Patton, who was getting anger management treatment after an assault conviction, stabbed Logsdon while arguing with him about his program.

After the killing, Patton stole a Nassau Inter-County Express van that he later abandoned in Queens, according to authorities.

The vehicle had a tracker in it, but Patton was able to bail out of the stolen vehicle in Queens and elude city police officers who pursued him days after the stabbing, the NYPD previously said.

Patton's attorney, Mindy Plotkin, declined to comment after Monday's plea hearing in Nassau County Court.

The halfway house had been run by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Long Island — a charity affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre — and served primarily those with a criminal past who were recently out of prison. 

Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement Monday that Logsdon "led a life of service and helped countless people returning from prison," while Patton "brutally stabbed a man of God."

Prosecutor Nicole Aloise told the judge Logsdon's family plans to speak at Patton's July 22 sentencing.