NORTHAMPTON — A man formerly from Hadley whom prosecutors have called the mastermind of a violent home invasion in Amherst two years ago reached a plea deal Tuesday that could result in several years in state prison.
On Tuesday, Patrick Bemben, 27, appeared before Judge Richard Carey in Hampshire Superior Court, and agreed to plead guilty to 10 counts related to the incident in the deal negotiated between the Northwestern district attorney’s office and defense attorney David Hoose.
Sentencing will take place Monday at 2 p.m. Bemben will receive credit for 86 days previously served in jail from Oct. 31, 2016 to Jan. 23, 2017.
First Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne said he will be recommending that Bemben serve five to six years in state prison, with five years probation. Hoose will be submitting in writing to Carey an alternative recommendation for sentencing.
Bemben pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit a home invasion, conspiracy to commit an armed and masked robbery, assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering during the nighttime to commit a felony and use of body armor in committing a felony, and three counts of armed robbery with a firearm. The home invasion occurred overnight from Oct. 29 to Oct. 30. 2016 at a dwelling at 943 South East St.
While the prosecutor’s recommendation is longer than the sentence handed to Warrens Gelin of Springfield, who last month accepted a plea deal in which he will serve four to five years in state prison for his role, Gagne said Bemben’s sentence should be more severe “based primarily on being the maestro.”
Gagne said Bemben hatched the plan after a resident at the home, who cultivated and supplied him with marijuana, cut off Bemben, which left Bemben to feel “disrespected and offended.”
Bemben then brought in six individuals to assist him in the home invasion, Gagne said. Others who have been charged include Stephanos Georgiadis and Tivon LaValley, both of Hadley, and Joseph T. Barcelos of Belchertown, all of whom Bemben allegedly recruited to be part of the group entering the home, and John Joseph Niemiec III and Brittany Buckowski, both of Sunderland, who rented a U-Haul and allegedly acted as drivers during the incident. Those five have pleaded not guilty to charges, and all but LaValley have either posted bail or been released with conditions.
After the suspects got the home, they subdued one roommate outside, but a flood light motion detector drew attention to their presence to the other two roommates inside the home. Those men then exited with baseball bats to defend themselves, but both were soon injured.
One roommate had his right arm opened up by a sharp object, a serious injury in which Gagne said he suffered a large gash that cut through muscles, nerves and tendons. The other roommate was hit in the back of the head with a pistol, suffering a significant laceration, but was able to run from the scene and call 911.
Before police got to the home, the suspects removed several containers of marijuana product, a heating device for marijuana and laptop, as well as other belongings.
Bemben, who is nearing a degree in engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, was arrested at the scene, in part because he was so weighed down, Gagne said. A responding police officer who took him into custody removed several items from Bemben, including a tactical bullet resistant vest, a CamelBak hydration system, knives, a tactical hatchet, a baton, a ski mask, a pair of goggles, a headlamp and a compass.
Gagne credited Amherst detectives, including Gregory Wise and Nicholas Chandler, who were present in the courtroom, for diligence in pursuing the case. Several of the suspects fled through the woods and their roles were not immediately known.
One obstacle the detectives confronted was that Bemben, even after being read his Miranda rights, attempted to deceive, claiming he got involved through a phone call from someone named “Tony,” and that was only a lookout, not the lead planner.
“That call from ‘Tony’ was a falsehood to minimize his role in the case,” Gagne said.
The other difficulty is that victims told police that two firearms, a rifle and pistol, were used, but neither were found at the scene. They were located in March 2017, in a mile radius of the home, Gagne said. While they were not loaded, Gagne said subsequent testing showed that both were functional.
The other defendants could be called for trial or agree to plea deals before the end of the year, Gagne said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
