Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Braunstein Pens a Letter to Judge
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 15, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 15, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Peter Braunstein, the writer who was convicted of kidnapping and torturing a former colleague, is back to writing: He sent a letter to the judge, expressing his remorse. Last month, it took a jury about four hours to find Braunstein guilty of his 13-hour 2005 attack, and Judge Thomas Farber will be sentencing Braunstein on Monday.
Braunstein's parents have also sent letters on their son's behalf, but the most interesting stuff is from Braunstein himself, who is hoping that Farber will not sentence him to the maximum - 25 years to life. We've cobbled together a few quotes, as parts of the 9-page letter were excerpted in the Times, Post and Daily News:
The madness resides in the fact that I had no motive or intent. Thus, once I attacked the victim I had no idea why I was there or what to do. I did not consider rape or murder, and the robbery I committed was of three random items of women's clothing I had no intention of reselling...
I myself have several theories as to why I engaged in this behavior. I'm more swayed by the mental illness explanation, but I'm still deeply confused...
I also earned a number of monikers courtesy of the press — ‘Perv,’ ‘Fiend,’ ‘Psycho.' Despite the pseudoclinical patina of these epithets, they were just part of an editorial arsenal that seeks to demonize a suspect before he even reaches trial...
[The Post's Andrea Peyser] declared that I was not sick; I was evil. This kind of tabloid rhetoric is essentially a mandate for harsh sentencing. After all, if I am evil, then showing me any kind of leniency means 'coddling' me and 'letting me off easy.'..
Although the verdict did not go as I would have liked, I believe you to be a fair and circumspect judge who will consider this plea for leniency in sentencing...
In closing, I would like to express my remorse for committing this crime and heartfelt sympathy for the victim. All I know is how my victim, through her powerful testimony, demonstrated once again the fortitude she exhibited during her ordeal with me; and how this in turn inspired a bout of self-contempt as I considered my lack of self-control and the fall from society this had cost me.
But he did admit, "I did plan the crime intently."
The Times reported that the first eight pages were dictated to his lawyer, because "his hand shakes badly from the effects of the antipsychotic medication he has been taking while incarcerated, Zyprexa."
Tagged
All I
andrea peyser
crime
daily news
murder
news
peter braunstein
rape
robbery
the post
the times
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Remote learning day for NYC schools means remote chance of learning, parents say
The remote day kicked off with a familiar ritual that began in the pandemic: kids struggling to log on.
By
Jessica Gould
Published Nov 3, 2026 at 3:23 p.m. ET
MTA posts record riders over Halloween, marathon week
The numbers highlight the MTA’s continuing post-pandemic recovery as it has campaigned to get people back on the trains after the COVID pandemic.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
MTA posts record riders over Halloween, marathon week
The numbers highlight the MTA’s continuing post-pandemic recovery as it has campaigned to get people back on the trains after the COVID pandemic.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Floyd Bennett Field gets $10M for project to reopen historic hangars
By
Rosemary Misdary
Trump administration sends election monitors to NYC, NJ
By
Catalina Gonella
Child dies in raging Upstate New York measles outbreak
By
Caroline Lewis
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .