Syosset teen Aiden Zachary sentenced to 12 years in prison for fatally stabbing 15-year-old Liam Delemo

A Syosset teen who admitted stabbing a 15-year-old after being removed from a West Babylon house party last November was sentenced to 12 years in state prison for manslaughter Wednesday.

Aiden Zachary, now 18, told the family and friends of Liam Delemo, who packed the courtroom and a second room set up for overflow, that he is sorry for causing the teen's death exactly one year ago to the day.

"I live every day with regret for what I did," Zachary said at his sentencing before acting Supreme Court Justice Karen Kerr in Central Islip.

Prosecutors said the stabbing occurred after Zachary and two friends arrived at the party, where more than 100 teens had been drinking and were asked to leave shortly after 10 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2025. Delemo suffered stab wounds in the arm and abdomen, severing his colon and pancreas. He died during surgery at Good Samaritan University Hospital in the early morning hours of Nov. 4.

Delemo's mother, Hope, spoke at sentencing of the pain of losing her only child.

"He had a smile that could brighten any room, a laugh that was contagious, and a future filled with possibilities," Hope Delemo said of her son, who was 20 days shy of getting his driver's license when he was killed and had been carving a path for himself to one day own an HVAC company. His father, Mike Delemo, said Liam enjoyed riding e-bikes, mopeds and scooters with a close-knit crew of friends.

Assistant District Attorney Sheetal Shetty said prosecutors reached the plea agreement with Zachary's defense to spare the Delemo family a trial. He had been facing a second degree-murder charge that carried a maximum sentence of 25 years to life.

Zachary's defense attorney, Jacob Kaplan, of Manhattan, said several mitigating factors made the plea to a lesser offense possible. He noted his client did not attend the party, which was open and promoted on social media, looking to cause trouble, adding that the altercation was prompted by other teens who he said began shoving Zachary and his friends as they tried to leave.

"At the end of the day, the blame will always lie with Aiden Zachary," Kaplan said. "But ... there were 50 decisions made that night by numerous people that could have avoided it happening. For his part, Aiden takes responsibility for what he did."

The party took place around the corner from Delemo’s home at a house owned by the grandparents of the host. His grandmother Bonnie Miranda, 70, was charged with violating Suffolk's social host law in the days after the party.

Zachary was arrested one week later. His attorney said the knife was never recovered.

Shetty said to the teens in attendance Wednesday that she hopes they learn a lesson about carrying weapons.

"If you feel you need a weapon to go somewhere, stay home," the prosecutor said. "If you feel you are not safe somewhere, stay home. Value yourself, your family and your safety, because a split second can destroy lives."

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney called the case "nothing short of tragic."

Hope Delemo, who teaches middle school in the Brentwood School District and credited her students with helping her through the tragedy, said she still lives each day with the grief of losing her son. She said she sits on his bed and that the door to his bathroom has remained closed since his death with his belongings still inside. His clothes that went unwashed that week remain in a basket in the laundry room, she told reporters afterward.

Shetty said those details have stuck with her.

"She doesn't want to wash any part of him away," the prosecutor said.

Kerr, before pronouncing sentence, called the case "senseless, violent and tragic." She noted Zachary will be released from prison with plenty of life still ahead of him.

"You will have an opportunity to grow up, to make new friends, to spend time with your family and perhaps someday have a family of your own," the judge told the defendant, who appeared before her shackled at the waist, wearing a white button-down shirt with khaki pants and work boots. "Liam Delemo will not have those options."

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.