Buffalo man admits to strangling woman, robbing elderly victim

Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini

6 minutes ago

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo man has pleaded guilty to all 13 charges against him stemming from two April 2022 incidents in which he robbed an elderly woman and strangled another female victim, a the Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

Authorities said that on April 1, 2022, Michael T. Sawyer, 34, punched, slapped and choked a female victim inside a Buffalo home during an argument. She lost consciousness and suffered a concussion. Sawyer stole her phone and keys and used her vehicle in a robbery a few days later.

On April 5, 2022, authorities said Sawyer used the victim’s vehicle to drive to a grocery store on Harlem Road in Cheektowaga. There, he attempted to forcibly steal an 80-year-old woman’s purse.

The victim was dragged by the stolen vehicle while holding her purse and fell to the ground, causing head trauma and other serious physical injuries. She was taken to ECMC and stayed there for several weeks.

The stolen vehicle was later found parked on Miller Avenue near Broadway in Buffalo. Police confronted Sawyer as he walked toward the vehicle and he then attempted to flee. Sawyer was arrested after a short pursuit and held on $200,000 bail.

He has since pleaded guilty to the following charges:

• one count of first degree assault
• one count of attempted robbery in the first degree
• one count of second degree robbery
• one count of second-degree strangulation
• one count of grand theft in the fourth degree
• one count of third-degree assault
• two counts of endangering the welfare of a child
• one count of fourth-degree witness tampering
• four counts of second-degree criminal contempt

Sawyer faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced in June. A temporary protection order issued on behalf of the female victim and her children remains in effect.