NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A father was sentenced to prison on Monday for intimidating and tampering with individuals who had information about a fatal stabbing committed by his son in 2020.
Steve Darbasie, 44, was sentenced to six months in jail for three counts of tampering with a witness and two counts of intimidating a victim or witness in connection with the fatal stabbing of Terrell Wigfall, committed by Darbasie’s son, Tammuz Darbasie, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced.
According to court documents, Darbasie’s son fatally stabbed 24-year-old Terrell Wigfall in August 2020. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree for the stabbing in April 2023.
In December 2022, Darbasie began to intimidate three of Wigfall’s friends, whom he believed had information about the stabbing. He created an anonymous Instagram account named “Ratzzzz” to identify and intimidate the three potential witnesses, labeling them as “snitches and rats.”
He posted video clips he had received from his son’s attorney, showing the three speaking with police and identifying his son as the stabber. At the time, Darbasie thought his son’s trial would soon end.
Two days after he first began posting, two of the witnesses’ rear windshield was smashed while they sat inside a car, according to prosecutors. One of those witnesses later received a threatening text message calling her a rat. Darbasie’s Instagram account remained active until he was arrested.
“Steve Darbasie waged a relentless campaign of intimidation, using social media as a sword to both punish witnesses for speaking with police and attempt to prevent them from testifying about his son’s crime,” Bragg said. “Honest testimony is the bedrock of our criminal legal system and when witnesses are harassed and intimidated, our ability to hold accountable those who commit violent acts suffers. We will not tolerate any such attempts, as I hope this trial conviction makes clear. My thoughts are with the loved ones of Terrell Wigfall as they continue to mourn his loss.”