Frederick man ordered to 24 years in prison for assault

Jun. 29—A Frederick man on Thursday was ordered to serve 24 years in prison for assaulting two men with a baseball bat, and stabbing one of them, in 2021.

Aaron Abrecht, 32, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree assault in April 2022, according to court records.

Court documents state he beat his childhood friend and his friend's cousin with a bat, and stabbed one of them with glass multiple times. Abrecht said in previous hearings he did this in defense of his former girlfriend and himself.

Before the sentencing, Abrecht addressed Judge Robert Greenberg in Frederick County Circuit Court and told him he was raised in old-fashioned ways in a family of military and law enforcement personnel. He added that he was raised to focus on what needs to get done and that he can be blind to what's going on around him.

"I'm not rambunctious. I'm not angry. I'm not explosive," Abrecht told the judge.

He said he trusted Greenberg to make the right decision and hoped that justice would be served to everyone, including his former girlfriend.

Before the hearing started, Abrecht's attorney, Alan Winik, asked the judge if he could argue a previous motion that was not decided before the sentencing. The motion was filed in April 2022 by Abrecht's former attorney on the case, Matthew Frawley.

Greenberg granted Winik's request. Winik called Abrecht's former girlfriend, who Winik said never got the chance to testify on Abrecht's behalf during trial.

He argued that Frawley denied Abrecht effective assistance of counsel by not calling the former girlfriend to the stand at trial.

Winik and Frederick County Assistant State's Attorney Rebecca Clinton questioned the former girlfriend, during which she recounted the incident, how she wasn't able to testify at trial and said that the two men Abrecht assaulted had "ganged up" on him.

Clinton asked if the former girlfriend remembered receiving a letter stating that the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office would not pursue her charges, and she said no.

No additional detail was given as to why the state's attorney's office did not pursue those charges.

Greenberg ultimately denied the motion, saying the motion was filed on the idea that the jury might not have followed the court's orders. The judge added that the proper time for such kinds of proceedings would be after sentencing.

While arguing for the maximum sentencing for Abrecht, Clinton described Abrecht's past assault convictions to argue there was a history of violence.

Susan Abrecht-Parks, Abrecht's mother, interjected from the gallery and questioned how the past convictions were relevant to the sentencing.

Greenberg and Winik demanded she sit down, and Greenberg said he would remove her from the courtroom if she didn't comply.

Clinton also showed a video Abrecht took after he assaulted the cousin. In the video, Abrecht yells, "Don't ever f--- with another man's b—, or you'll die."

"I think this video is chilling," Clinton said. "It shows he relished what he did that day."

She also showed pictures of the injuries the victims sustained, such as scars, stab wounds, and bruises. One man also suffered a broken arm.

Greenberg said Abrecht in the video was "seeming to delight in the misery of the victim at the time."

The judge added that regardless of whether the incident was a case of self-defense, it was a "brutal attack."

Winik told the court that Abrecht has had mental health problems all his life. Abrecht needs more treatment, he said.

Winik added that while the assaults resulted in "unspeakable damage," it was not a wild assault, but rather a "misunderstanding". He added that Abrecht was not "the bogeyman."

"I think the narrative is much more complicated," he said.

Though there were real mental health concerns and the state has limited resources for that in the prison, the judge said that there is also concern about the protection of the community.

Abrecht was sentenced to a total of 50 years but was ordered to serve 24 years, with credit from September 2021. Upon his release, he is ordered to serve five years of supervised probation.

After Greenberg announced the sentencing, Abrecht hung his head and looked visibly frustrated.

Winik said after the sentencing he had no comment.

The state's attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

After the sentencing, Abrecht-Parks said she was frustrated with the entire system.

She said Greenberg should have granted the motion for a new trial.