SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office (SCDA) announced on Thursday that 27-year-old James Parker was convicted on January 13 in connection to a 2024 robbery case in Schenectady. The Cobleskill man now faces up to 25 years in state prison.
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Parker was found guilty of holding a Schenectady taxi driver at knifepoint on November 13, 2024, forcing her to drive him and his girlfriend, Nicole Zielinski, to his home on Wedgewood Drive in Cobleskill. During the ride, investigators determined that Parker cut the driver’s forearm and hand with the knife, additionally making multiple threats to kill her.
Upon dropping Parker and Zielinski off at the Wedgewood Drive house, Parker tried to break the driver’s phone. The woman found that the phone still worked and was able to report the incident to law enforcement.
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Amid the ensuing investigation by New York State Police, detectives executed a search warrant at the property the following day. The search yielded the discovery of the knife Parker was seen wielding the night before, and also the clothing he was wearing at the time of the incident. A DNA test later conducted on the knife matched the blood of the victim, according to the SCDA.
Zielinski previously pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted robbery and was later sentenced to two years in prison. Parker was convicted of the following charges on Tuesday:
- First-degree robbery
- Second-degree kidnapping
- Second-degree assault
- Third-degree criminal possession of a weapon
- Theft of services
“The victim in this case was just trying to make a living and had the unfortunate luck to answer Mr. Parker’s cab request and then suffered through a terrifying experience at his hand,” Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney stated. “This victim was able to come in and recount her ordeal before a jury that credited her account thanks also to the good work of the New York State Police.”…