ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A man who was injured by Rochester police during an arrest in 2018 is now accused of assaulting a woman who later died.
Christopher Pate, 43, and Jennifer Shea, 44, were arraigned and pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of second-degree assault, second-degree robbery and first-degree burglary.
Police say around 1:30 a.m. on April 7, Pate and Shea attacked Alicia Saladyga, 51, on Mt. Read Boulevard and took property from her hotel room. Saladyga was seriously hurt and died two weeks later at the hospital, according to authorities.
Investigators say they are waiting on the results of an autopsy to determine whether Saladyga's death will be ruled a criminal homicide. Depending on the determination from the medical examiner, additional charges may be presented to a grand jury.
According to police, both Pate and Shea were also involved in a separate incident in October in which they allegedly attacked a man with a razor blade and a hammer. They were out on bail when investigators say the assault on Saladyga took place.
Pate became known publicly after he filed a civil lawsuit against the city and the officers involved in his arrest in 2018. He was seriously hurt being taken into custody when police mistakenly identified him as a burglary suspect. Michael Sippel, one of the arresting officers, was later convicted of misdemeanor assault and lost his job with the department.
That suit has yet to be resolved.