St. Lucie County - Thursday April 11, 2024: Leigha Michelle Day has been sentenced to life in prison for the stabbing of SLC Deputy Sheriff Cody Colangelo two years ago.
Last week a jury of six found the 23-year-old Day guilty of Attempted First-Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer. 19th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Michael Heisey
handed down the life sentence Tuesday.
Deputy Colangelo was severely injured after being stabbed in the neck in the early morning hours of March 24th, 2022. He has since recovered and resumed his position as a SLC Deputy Sheriff.
On that night two years ago, Colangelo and other officers had responded to a roll-over crash in the 12-hundred block of South Indian River Drive. The vehicle was un-occupied when they arrived.
Day, the sole occupant of the vehicle, had managed to crawl out, relatively unharmed. She had walked down the embankment off the road towards the lagoon where Deputy
Colangelo found her. He was in the process of leading her back up to the accident scene on the roadway when, Colangelo's body camera footage shows, Day suddenly turned on him and stabbed him in the neck.
Deputy Colangelo managed to draw his weapon and fire one round at the woman, but the shot missed and the woman fled back up to the roadway. Despite his injury, Deputy Colangelo gave pursuit and managed to give instructions to other officers while holding his hand over the wound on his neck.
In a release posted on the SLCSO website, Sheriff Keith Pearson credited the first responders "whose swift, heroic actions saved Deputy Colangelo's life." He said the incident "highlights the very real dangers law enforcement face every day."
Sheriff Pearson thanked Judge Michael Heisey for presiding over the case.
The Sheriff also released a portion of Deputy Colangelo's body camera footage form the incident. Part of that video, edited by WQCS, can be seen below.
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