Meriden Man Sentenced In Assault Of Woman With Baseball Bat

MERIDEN, CT — A Meriden man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison in connection with assaulting a woman with a baseball bat in 2021, according to officials.

Esteban Hernaiz, 57, was also sentenced Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Gerald L. Harmon to eight years of special parole following the prison term, New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. announced.

Hernaiz pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree assault and one count of violation of a protective order.

The assault occurred on November 8, 2021, in the area of 900 block of Broad Street in Meriden.

Authorities said the victim, who was in a relationship with Hernaiz at the time, fled from Hernaiz and entered a Shell Gas station, where Hernaiz “followed her and struck her multiple times in the head with a baseball bat,” according to a news release.

“The victim suffered severe, life-threatening injuries as a result of the assault,” officials wrote in the news release. “There was a court-ordered protective order in place at the time which prohibited Hernaiz from having any contact with the victim. The conduct of Hernaiz on November 8, 2021 violated that court order. Notwithstanding her serious life-altering injuries, the victim had been prepared to testify at trial had Hernaiz not pleaded guilty.”

Doyle thanked the Meriden Police Department for “their investigative efforts and Office of Victim Services Advocate Christie Ciancola for her advocacy on behalf of the victim.”

See also: Meriden Man Assaulted Woman With Baseball Bat: Police