Man found guilty of assault after beating niece nearly to death with baseball bat

MONROE COUNTY, N.Y. — A man has been found guilty of first-degree assault for beating his 18-year-old niece with a baseball bat, an attack that nearly took her life.

Jacob Seffens, 34, was in a sexual relationship with his niece, and when she tried to end it, he beat her with a bat, according to the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office. When Rochester Police arrived at a Chili Avenue home on June 14, 2023, they found her beaten and unresponsive. She was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where she was placed in a medically inducted coma due to a traumatic brain injury with severe and life-threatening swelling to the brain. The DA’s office said she is physically doing better and is “on her way to a full recovery.”

Seffens, convicted by a jury Friday, faces five to 25 years in prison. He will be sentenced May 28 in front of Monroe County Court Judge Meredith Vacca.

“This survivor faced a terrible trauma and was courageous enough to face her assailant in court,” Assistant District Attorney Patrick Gallagher, who prosecuted the case, stated. “I would like to thank this young woman for her bravery in sharing her story, which will help prevent Jacob Seffens from hurting anyone else. I want to thank the Rochester Police Department, from the patrol officers who initially responded, to the investigators and the technicians, whose detailed work helped to secure today’s guilty verdict. It is the hope of the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office that the resilience of this victim will assist her as she continues to heal from this trauma.”