Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 32-year-old Reginald M. Branch, Jr. of Buffalo was sentenced this afternoon before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case to 16 years in prison followed by 5 years of post-release supervision. He was sentenced today as a second violent felony offender.

On December 1, 2020, at approximately 11:30 p.m., the defendant stabbed the victim, 50-year-old Damon O. Jones, multiple times in the chest. The incident occurred inside the victim’s upstairs apartment on Kilhoffer Street in the City of Buffalo. The victim died at the scene.

On July 19, 2022, Judge Case found Branch guilty of one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree (Class “B” violent felony), convicting the defendant of the lesser included offense after a four-day, non-jury trial.

DA Flynn commends Det. Sgt. Chris Plizka and Det. Ray Krug of the Buffalo Police Department Homicide Squad for their work in the investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ryan D. Haggerty of the Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Milton D. Gordon of the Felony Trials Bureau.