After stabbing his father in the back with a samurai sword a former Bucks student was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

On Friday Nov. 4th after roughly 18 hours of deliberations a jury found Robert Corsaro, Jr., 25, of Bensalem guilty of killing his 55-year-old father, Robert Sr., on Dec. 1, 2003. According to the prosecution, Corsaro stabbed his father on the front lawn of their home during an argument about Corsaro’s use of drugs. The defense claimed that the stabbing was an accident that occurred while the two men re-enacted scenes from a movie.

Corsaro was charged with homicide. This gave the jury a choice of first-degree murder, which could have sent him to prison for life, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, or involuntary manslaughter. The jury found him guilty of the lesser involuntary manslaughter, a misdemeanor charge.

Defense attorney Ari Moldovsky said that Corsaro had originally offered to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter. The Centurion reported in the Feb. 16, 2004 issue that Moldovsky had asked Penndel District Judge Joseph Falcone to reduce the charges from homicide to involuntary manslaughter at the preliminary hearing. However, Falcone sided with the prosecution and the homicide charge stood.

Moldovsky said of the verdict “We are thrilled…we worked so hard for so long…and we believe that justice has been done.”

On the advice of his attorney Corsaro gave no comment. Cosaro’s mother and sister, who had tears visibly running down their cheeks, also left the court with out giving comment. They did however, stop to hug and thank Rick Bankoff, 44, of Newtown Township, and juror No. 8 in this trail.

Corsaro’s mother and sister have supported him through the entire trial. Corsaro’s mother, Kathleen, even testified on his behalf. According to Bankoff this support made a big impact on the decision of the jury to convict Corsaro of only the lesser charges.

Bankoff said “He killed his father and his mother and sister were still behind him…we had to give him the benefit of the doubt.” He also stated that he did not believe that the prosecution had proved Corsaro acted with malice, which is necessary for a first-degree murder conviction.

When asked about Bankoff’s statements regarding Corsaro’s family support, Jennifer Schorn, Chief Deputy District Attorney, said “That was our fear all along.” Saying Bensalem Township police “…had an uphill battle from the beginning” because of the strong support that the family showed for Corsaro.

Schorn gave praise to the Bensalem Township police, recalling their handling of destroyed evidence and a tampered with crime scene. Schorn said “This was a solid investigation…Bensalem Township police handled this in a professional manner.”

Schorn said that some witnesses, family members of Corsaro, gave conflicting stories about where and how the stabbing occurred. Also, according to Schorn, Corsaro’s mother had cleaned blood from the sword before police arrived. Kathleen had also given conflicting accounts during the preliminary hearing of which of the two swords found at the scene had stabbed her husband.

This had not been the first time that police responded to the Corsaro home. Police had been called out five times in the two years prior to the murder. Only months before the murder Corsaro had allegedly chased his parents, threatening them with a sword.

A sentencing date has not yet been set. Schorn says that her office will ask the sentencing judge for the maximum sentences for both counts, which is five years each.

Corsaro was unable to make the $10 million bail set by Falcone and has been in jail since his arrest two years ago. It is likely that his sentence will include his time already served. Even with a maximum sentence Corsaro could serve only eight years in prison.

Though she could no offer any details, Schorn says that there will be an investigation in to the conduct of some witnesses to this crime.