Schenectady man convicted of attempting to murder estranged wife

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A Schenectady man has been convicted of attempted murder after hitting his estranged wife with his vehicle in 2023, the Schenectady County District Attorney's office announced on Tuesday. Sherifullah Hashimi, 62, was also convicted of multiple other charges.

On July 23, 2023, police received several 911 calls about a vehicle crash involving a pedestrian at the Southgate Housing Complex in the city of Schenectady, authorities said. During the investigation, a video showed Hashimi circling the apartment complex in his car for about 15 minutes as he looked for his estranged wife. When he saw the victim park her car on Frank Street and begin walking, he reportedly followed her.

When the victim noticed Hashimi driving towards her, she began to run, officials said. As a result, Hashimi accelerated his car, steered across the lane and into the opposite shoulder before straightening the vehicle into the woman.

When she was struck by his vehicle, the victim was in front of a parked large SUV. She was launched upward and landed on the top of the parked car, officials said. The collision reportedly occurred with such force that the SUV was pushed backward, damaging two vehicles parked behind it.

After the crash, Hashimi exited his car and fled from the scene on foot, according to authorities. He appeared at the Schenectady Police Department about 10 hours after the crash where he was interviewed by a detective and claimed he accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, police said.

The victim was treated by emergency personnel from the Schenectady Fire Department before being transported to Albany Medical Center. She did not suffer any life-threatening injury and was released from the hospital the same day, officials reported.

During Hashimi's trial, the victim testified that he had been abusive to her during their relationship. Additionally, after their separation, he followed her around, showed up at her house unannounced and threatened to harm her. The victim eventually obtained an Order of Protection from Schenectady County Family Court, which required Hashimi to stay away from her. The Order of Protection was still in effect on the day of the attempted murder, according to officials.

On Feb. 3, Hashimi was convicted of the following charges:

• Second-degree attempted murder, a class B violent felony
• First-degree attempted assault, a class C violent felony
• Second-degree assault, a class D violent felony
• Aggravated criminal contempt, a class D felony
• First-degree criminal contempt, a class E felony
• Leaving the scene of a personal injury incident, a class A misdemeanor
• Leaving the scene of a property damage incident, a traffic violation

Hashimi is scheduled for sentencing on April 1 in Schenectady County Court. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, followed by 5 years of parole for the attempted murder charge. Sentences for the remaining charges will run concurrently per law.