A Manhattan man convicted of waging an intimidation campaign against witnesses with information about his son’s fatal stabbing of a young Bronx basketball star — blasting them online as “snitches and rats” — received a six-month jail term on Monday.
Steve Darbasie appeared for his sentencing in Manhattan Supreme Court following his conviction at trial last month, when a jury found him guilty of witness tampering and intimidating a victim or witness for meddling in his son Tammuz Darbasie’s since-resolved manslaughter case.
After claiming his son had acted in self-defense, Darbasie created an anonymous Instagram account under the name “Ratzzzz” to post about three witnesses who identified his son as Terrell Wigfall’s killer — obtaining CCTV footage showing them talking to police via his son’s defense attorney, Frank Rothman, who testified at the father’s trial.
Within days of Darbasie setting up the account in December 2022, an unknown assailant smashed the rear windshield of a vehicle that one of the witnesses was inside of, according to prosecutors, and another got a text describing her as a rat.
Darbasie’s son, Tammuz Darbasie, 24, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in April 2023 stemming from Wigfall’s Aug. 22, 2022, stabbing near 11th Ave. and W. 54th St. He received a five-year sentence, with prosecutors saying at the time they had difficulty securing eyewitnesses.
“Steve Darbasie waged a relentless campaign of intimidation, using social media as a sword to both punish witnesses for speaking with police and attempt to prevent them from testifying about his son’s crime,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement Monday.
“Honest testimony is the bedrock of our criminal legal system and when witnesses are harassed and intimidated, our ability to hold accountable those who commit violent acts suffers. We will not tolerate any such attempts, as I hope this trial conviction makes clear. My thoughts are with the loved ones of Terrell Wigfall as they continue to mourn his loss.”
Wigfall, a 24-year-old father of one studying at Bronx Community College, was stabbed in the chest during the brawl. The high-scoring hoopster underwent heart surgery and battled for his life for weeks at Mount Sinai West Hospital before he died on Sept. 16. Police identified Darbasie as the suspected knifeman soon after, and he surrendered the following month.
During his season in the Bronx, Wigfall averaged nearly 20 points per game and broke the 20-point barrier in nine of the team’s 16 games. The 6-foot-1 guard also led the BCC Broncos in steals, free throws, assists, and blocks.
“Terrell, lost to violence, a young dad, star athlete, and graduate of West Side HS,” one of his high school teachers, Mark Torres, wrote on social media after his killing. “We miss you and will always LOVE and Remember you! Rest in Paradise.”
Darbasie’s attorney, Alberto Ebanks, did not return requests for comment. Wigfall’s loved ones could not be reached.
