PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A second man has been convicted in the 2018 murder of William Catalano. 

 

Jason Sefton, 23, pleaded guilty to murder on Wednesday in Berkshire Superior Court. Judge John Agostini sentenced Sefton to serve a life sentence with the opportunity for parole after 25 years.

 

His trial had been scheduled in two weeks. 

 

Sefton was one of three Pittsfield men charged in connection with the stabbing death of Catalano on Oct. 15, 2018. Catalano, 34, died at Berkshire Medical Center roughly 90 minutes after he was found lying on the sidewalk in front of 219 Robbins Ave. He had been stabbed multiple times.

 

Also charged were Bruce D. Romano and Anthony O. Boone, both 22 at the time. Boone pleaded guilty to manslaughter in February 2020 and was sentenced to 12 to 15 years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction. Romano's case is still pending. The cases were delayed because of the pandemic.

 

Sefton attacked Catalano and stabbed him twice outside of a Robbins Avenue address then fled the area. Pittsfield Police responded, and emergency medical services transported Catalano to Berkshire Medical Center, where Catalano subsequently died. The Chief Medical Examiner's Office determined that Catalano, a local barber and father of four, died because of the two stab wounds to his chest. Police said they had surveillance video showing Sefton's attack and the other two men beating Catalano.  

 

"I send my heartfelt condolences to Mr. Catalano's family and I thank them for their courage and strength in sharing with the Court the many things that they loved about Mr. Catalano. While nothing will ever replace the void left in their lives, we hope that this life sentence for this senseless act of violence will bring the family some peace and closure," District Attorney Andrea Harrington said. "I also thank the Pittsfield Police Department, the State Police, and every department, organization, and professional who responded to the scene, attempted to save Mr. Catalano's life, and conducted a thorough investigation."

 

The Pittsfield Police Department, with assistance from the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, forensic scientists from the Crime Laboratory, and the Berkshire County Sheriff's Department investigated the case.