A former St. John Fisher University student convicted in connection with a 2024 knife attack on a university employee has been sentenced to probation and will avoid prison time.
According to the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, 21-year-old Shalom Mathews was sentenced Monday by Judge Charles Schiano to five years of probation.
Mathews previously pleaded guilty to attempted assault after authorities said he attacked a staff member inside the Wegmans School of Pharmacy on Feb. 28, 2024.
Investigators said Mathews went to the employee’s office claiming he feared for his life and believed his father would kill him over failing grades. Authorities said he then pulled a black kitchen knife from his pocket and attempted to stab the employee. The staff member was able to fight Mathews off, take away the knife, and Mathews fled the scene.
Mathews also pleaded guilty to stalking charges tied to hundreds of graphic and disturbing social media messages sent to a former Brighton High School student and a school staff member between November 2021 and February 2024, according to court records.
After pleading guilty in May 2025, Mathews was placed on interim probation pending a reassessment hearing.
Before that reassessment took place, authorities said Mathews violated a campus ban and an order of protection after he was seen driving on the St. John Fisher campus on Oct. 24. He was subsequently charged with criminal contempt and trespassing.
Prosecutors said Mathews could have faced between one and three years in prison at Monday’s sentencing.
As part of the sentence, orders of protection remain in place for the three victims.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with or convicted of a crime is part of the judicial process, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
