Joseph F. Brown Sr., of Norwich, who has a history of assault convictions, was sentenced Tuesday in New London Superior Court to four years in prison for stabbing a relative of his children's mother during a domestic dispute on July 15, 2015.

The man suffered a stab wound to his right upper leg that doctors said just missed his femoral artery and one to his upper torso that punctured his liver and required immediate surgery, blood transfusions and other procedures.

"This is the kind of incident that very easily could have turned into a homicide," prosecutor Lawrence J. Tytla said.

Brown, who has been incarcerated since the incident, also was wounded. He claimed he had blacked out from drinking but was acting in self-defense. He pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine to violation of a criminal protective order, second-degree assault and violation of probation. The Alford plea indicates he does not agree with the state's version of the case but did not want to go to trial, where he could have risked a harsher sentence if convicted.

According to Norwich police, Brown was bleeding heavily from a cut on his shoulder when police arrived at a 77 Taftville-Occum Road home for a report of a possible stabbing. He initially told them he had been assaulted by an unknown group of people while walking home from the Occum Fire Department.

Police learned a second stabbing victim had been taken from the home to The William W. Backus Hospital. 

The man, who was not identified by police, later admitted he took out his own knife and used it to fight back against Brown.

During the investigation, police learned Brown was living with the mother of his children despite an earlier domestic violence incident that resulted in a conviction and a court order prohibiting him from having contact with the woman and their children.

The woman told police she was working on the day of the stabbing and was worried because Brown, who was home with the children, had been drinking and had sent her a message earlier in the day that he was going to murder her.

She said she asked her sister and the sister's husband to accompany her to the home to check on Brown and the children. When the sister asked Brown if she could take the children with her, he told her no and instructed the couple to leave.

The woman told police Brown pulled a knife from his waistband and stated he was going to confront the sister and her husband in the driveway. She said he chased the husband to his car and she saw him make stabbing motions to the victim's stomach area.

Investigators said they found a large blood stain and a bloody knife handle on the southwest corner of the property and recovered another part, a blade pivot, near the roadway.

Brown has previous convictions for third-degree assault, risk of injury and violation of a protective order. Judge Hillary B. Strackbein told him he needs to get a handle on his substance abuse and violence issues, get a job and support his children. He will be on special parole for three years following his prison stint and is prohibited from contact with the victim and the mother of his children.

k.florin@theday.com