Arrest made in Lisbon Ave. party stabbing
City man faces murder charge
A Buffalo man was arrested Friday in the fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old Clarence man outside a University District house.
Todd Heatley, 28, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jacob Herbert, who was stabbed several times at about 4:30 a.m. last Saturday outside 112 Lisbon Ave.
The stabbing followed Herbert's demand for a refund of his cover charge after Buffalo police shut down a party.
Herbert, a 2008 graduate of Clarence High School, was stabbed several times and died later in Erie County Medical Center.
This was the city's 50th homicide of the year.
Michael J. DeGeorge, Buffalo police spokesman, said video recordings, witness statements and good police work culminated in Heatley's arrest.
"The city's surveillance camera and other sources of video played a key role in leading detectives to this suspect," DeGeorge said. "There were also a lot of people at this party at one time or another."
Buffalo police went to the scene of the house party at about midnight after fielding 911 calls from neighbors complaining about the noise.
As many as 200 people attended the mixed-group party before police shut it down.
Police returned to the house after receiving more neighbor complaints and, again, shut down the party.
It rekindled, however, a third time later that morning.
Authorities said Herbert apparently returned at some point and demanded a refund of the admission he paid to the party.
Police said 15 to 20 people were at the scene at about 4:30 a.m. when the argument broke out and Herbert was stabbed.
Heatley has had previous trouble with the law.
On Aug. 24, 2008, while he was living in Fredonia, police there charged him with threatening a person with a weapon during a fight.
That case was sealed, and the disposition was not available.
After Herbert's death, Lisbon Avenue neighbors complained about raucous parties in the neighborhood and suggested the stabbing could have been prevented if police had not left after initially ordering the party shut down.
As a result, they said, the party resumed twice.
Police, however, said the blame rests with those who returned to the party.
One police official, who met with students and neighbors during a community gathering this week, pointed out that stationing a patrol car outside the house would be "not appropriate" for several reasons — including the demands of other calls.
"We don't have the manpower to baby-sit 150 kids, so we're left to dispersing them," he said. "We have to respond to the next calls for service."
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