Drifter Guilty in Central Park Claw Hammer Assault Gets 14 Years

By Alyson Kaufman

A Canadian drifter found guilty of attacking a Spanish tourist last year on a park bench was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Tuesday.

The defendant, Douglas Epp, said at his sentencing in Manhattan Supreme Court that the attack was a part of a suicide scheme. He then rambled on about various seemingly unrelated matters, including something about a close friend who he said died in the attacks of 9/11. When asked about the relevance of his statement, his lawyer, Alyssa Gamliel, refused to comment.

The victim, a tourist from Barcelona, Spain was sitting on a bench in City Hall Park when Epp, dressed in a business suit, attacked him with the claw end of a hammer.

“This attack disrupted New York City’s reputation as a whole,” said Judge Renee A. White.

Epp gave a false name at his arrest and was arraigned under the alias John Yoos, the name of an acquaintance in Canada. Epp pleaded guilty to identity theft, in addition to attempted murder, after the real John Yoos saw his name in a newspaper and reported to authorities.

The victim, Hugo Alejandre, sustained a spinal fracture and deep lacerations.