Naesean Howard.JPG

Naesean Howard, center, a former Syracuse University football player, walks into Syracuse City Court in April for an appearance. He stands accused of stabbing two of his former teammates.

(Samantha House)

Syracuse, NY -- A former Syracuse University football player accused of repeatedly stabbing two former teammates is now facing harsher charges.

Naesean Howard was indicted Thursday on a charge of first-degree assault, which carries a possible sentence of up to 25 years in prison, if he's convicted.

Before the indictment, he had been arrested on two second-degree assault charges, which are punishable by up to 7 years in prison.

Thursday's indictment also includes a second-degree assault charge and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a misdemeanor.

Howard is accused of attacking redshirt junior defensive backs Chauncey Scissum and Corey Winfield at an April 16 barbecue on SU's South Campus.

Scissum was critically injured in the stabbing, wounded in the right side of his neck, right upper chest, left shoulder and bottom lip, police said.

Winfield was stabbed in the right lower back, upper right chest, left abdomen and left wrist, police said.

Based on the injuries, it appears the first-degree assault charge relates to Scissum's injuries and the second-degree charge to Winfield's injuries.

First-degree assault alleges that Howard intended to cause "serious physical injury," which is defined as creating a "substantial risk of death." Second-degree assault is the same, except it only accuses Howard of intending to cause "physical injury," which is defined as "substantial pain."

Both accuse him of committing the assaults with a deadly weapon, in other words, the knife.



A City Court judge has previously ordered a mental health exam for Howard to determine if he was competent to stand trial. The results of that exam are not yet known.

But Howard will now be arraigned in felony court, where his case will proceed.

His lawyer, Irene Aurora Flores, said last month that "there's a lot more to the story than him just showing up and stabbing two people." But she declined to comment further.

Howard remains free on bail. No date for his arraignment has been set yet.