The man convicted for the beating death of another man at a Forest Hill nightclub in 2010 was sentenced this week to a determinate sentence of 18 years in prison. Donnell Coleman, 31, of Jamaica, was convicted in March of first-degree gang assault and sentenced by Justice Richard L. Buchter after the conclusion of a two-week jury trial.
Haroon Walfall, 33, of Rosedale was punched and kicked repeatedly about the face by the defendant, along with eight to ten others during an altercation inside the club over a girl. Walfall sustained bruising, swelling and lacerations. It was determined that he had an enlarged heart and died later in the morning from a heart attack.
According to trial testimony, the incident unfolded in Bartini’s Lounge at 1 Station Square in Forest Hills. Walfall was attacked by the group of black men, none of whom he knew. He had been at the club having drinks with friends when the fight broke out. After it was over, he left the bar with his friends and complained of not feeling well, so they took him to Franklin General Hospital, where he died shortly after. The medical examiner maintained that the injuries sustained by Walfall should not have been life-threatening.
“The defendant in this case showed no mercy to his victim when he led an attack on him, which resulted in his death,” said DA Richard Brown. “The sentence imposed is appropriate for such a vicious and senseless attack.”
