A beefy fitness model who stabbed his roommate more than a dozen times in a fit of rage was sentenced to eight years behind bars Tuesday for the sensational 2018 attack.
Geoffrey Tracy, 30, learned his fate nearly four years after he came at his rental host Gregory Kanczes with a knife, leaving the then-50-year-old man covered in blood in his Hell’s Kitchen pad.
“It is only by the grace of god that I survived your assault that nearly ended my life,” Kanczes said in a victim impact statement read aloud during the hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Justice Curtis Farber cited cellphone footage of the Aug. 14, 2018 crime as he sentenced Tracy — who was convicted at trial of assault and attempted assault last month — saying he was disturbed by the sight of “a man literally having been assaulted by Mr. Tracy.”
“The video speaks for itself. It captures exactly what happened in all its horror. It had an unarmed man in his underwear being pursued at knife point out of his house,” the judge said.
Prosecutors initially sought 10 years in state prison, in addition to five years supervised release, while the defense argued that five years incarceration was sufficient.
Tracy, of Gilroy, Calif., was eventually handed an eight year term on the assault conviction and a sentence of up to four years for attempted assault, to run concurrently.
“As far as sentencing goes, we were hoping the judge might sentence him the mandatory minimum of five years, but we were somewhat relieved that [the judge] went below what the people were recommending,” defense attorney Thomas A. Kenniff told The Post following the proceeding.
The stabbing frenzy occurred just days after Tracy, then 25, moved to New York to dance at a strip club.
Prosecutors said the bodybuilder attacked Kanczes 16 times with a knife after accusing him of going through his belongings. Part of the incident was recorded on Tracy’s cellphone.
“The evidence at trial demonstrated that the defendant took a knife from Mr. Kanczes kitchen, that he followed him out into the hallway of his apartment building, that he ignored repeated attempts by Mr. Kanczes to leave the situation,” Assistant District Attorney Courney Razner said in court.
Kanczes suffered injuries to his neck, shoulder, arms, chest, ribs, and back. Prosecutors said that one wound near his neck would have proven fatal had it been just centimeters closer to his artery.
Tracy, who initially fled the scene and disposed of the knife, plead not guilty to charges of second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault in Sept. 2018.
The prosecutor cited Tracy’s alleged steroid use, noting that he made money by dealing performance-enhancing drugs at the time of the attack.
“The reason that I raised that is because I do think that it means that we need to take some of the assertions in these [character witness letters] with a grain of salt, because clearly the defendant was not open enough with those people for them to know the way that he was getting by during that period of time,” she said.
Kanczes did not appear in court, and his victim impact statement was read by the prosecutor.
“Your attack has left me with many scars that has lessened my self image and made me feel less attractive to others I may be interested in,” the statement said. “I am no longer able to move through the city with the ease I had prior to your assault. I feel like an easier target for criminals when in public and must plan my trips based upon how long I think I can move without pain and further injury.”
Kanczes also wrote that he suffers from flashbacks, anxiety and insomnia as a result of the trauma.
Tracy, who looked noticeably less muscular in his khaki jail clothes, was supported in court by his father, Thomas Tracy, his girlfriend, Shawley Henderson, and his employer Alex Larson.
“I wish I could go back in time and avoid coming to New York altogether but I realize that option doesn’t exist,” he told the court while struggling to hold back tears.
“I am not a violent person,” he continued.
“I’ve never even been in a fistfight prior to this anomaly that happened back in 2018.”
In a statement released following the sentencing, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg commended the jury’s decision and the sentencing.
“Geoffrey Tracy viciously stabbed his unarmed rental host, who continues to suffer significant physical and emotional damage to this day,” he said.
“While we can never undo the suffering and trauma from this incident, I hope the accountability from today’s sentence can help the healing process. I thank my office’s prosecutors for steadfastly pursuing this case.”
