Vignola Jr. gets 2-4 years for punching, slashing woman at motel in 2008

The picture painted yesterday of Joseph Vignola Jr. - son of former City Councilman and Controller Joseph Vignola - was that of a young man from a privileged background who was loved by his parents, but who developed anger, anxiety and acceptance issues in his teen years.

After getting failing grades at St. Joseph's Prep and transferring to the Valley Forge Military Academy, Vignola did well and was promoted to a supervisory post.

But as he reported on what other students had done, he in turn was beat on by his classmates, according to details at his sentencing hearing yesterday.

It was a result of his training and of his being ridiculed that made him act out the night of May 28, 2008, when he punched an 18-year-old prostitute in the throat and slashed her neck in a North American Motor Inns hotel room on City Avenue, according to defense witnesses.

Common Pleas Judge Renee Cardwell Hughes said she didn't buy the defense's contention.

And she said she couldn't get over how Vignola, who was taking EMT classes at the time, did not help the woman; how after punching her he then slit her throat, and how he lied to police, initially claiming that a black man had committed the attack.

Hughes sentenced him to two to four years in state prison, recommending he be sent to Waymart in Wayne County, where he can be treated for mental illness.

She also sentenced him to 10 years' probation and ordered him to pay $10,000 in restitution to the victim so she can get therapy and receive plastic surgery for her still-visible 6-inch neck wound.

"You have to pay. Not your mom. Not your dad," the judge told Vignola, 21, who pleaded guilty in September to felony aggravated assault and two related misdemeanor offenses.

An emotional Eileen Young-Vignola, the defendant's mother, and Vignola Sr., in a shaky voice, apologized to the victim in court. They begged the judge to send their only son to Gaudenzia, an inpatient treatment center in the city, and not to prison. Defense attorney Norris Gelman said his client's actions that night were "aberrant" to his normal behavior.

Young-Vignola told the judge "what happened to [her son] is a direct result" of the "hazing" at the military academy.

Vignola Jr., in a monotone voice, read a three-minute statement and apologized to the victim. "I am ashamed of what I did," he said, adding he believed that it was a result of post-traumatic stress disorder from his academy days.

After being sentenced, he was allowed to hug his parents before being led into custody. As they embraced, the mother collapsed. Family members and court staff rushed to her aid.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Foster, who sought a sentence of 12 to 24 years in state prison, said he was "disappointed" by the sentence. He contended that Vignola Jr. had planned the attack and had shown no remorse in his apology.