A St. Paul former boxer will spend the next 13 years in prison for attempting to murder his neighbor.
Frank Timothy Newton, 51, was sentenced to 156 months in prison by Ramsey County District Court Judge Leonardo Castro on Thursday afternoon for the crime, which took place in the fall of 2015.
It was mid-October when Newton and his neighbor got in an argument over the phone. After hanging up, the former super middleweight walked two blocks to the man’s home on the 600 block of Bush Avenue and yelled threats at him until he emerged, court documents say.
Newton proceeded to punch him in the head several times and eventually took out a knife and stabbed him in the head and chest.
The neighbor was taken to Regions Hospital and underwent emergency surgery. He survived the attack but still suffers physical, emotional and mental pain, according to Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Elizabeth Lamin, who spoke on the victim’s behalf in court Thursday.
Newton was found guilty by a jury in July of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault.
Before receiving his sentence Thursday, he apologized but said he’d acted in self defense.
Newton has seven prior assault convictions on his criminal record.
His last boxing bout was in 1997.