Albany woman gets up to life in prison for stabbing man to death

An Albany woman was sentenced on Tuesday to 25 years in prison for stabbing a man to death in 2023.

Kyisha Smith, 43, was convicted of second-degree murder in November. Smith stabbed 58-year-old James West in the neck at the South Mall Towers on South Pearl Street. West was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers found Smith in an apartment on another floor.

Prosecutors said Smith and West had a domestic relationship.

Judge Andra Ackerman said that video evidence showed that Smith acted with little remorse for what she did. She left the scene and did not call for help.

Smith’s relatives provided victim impact statements, saying that “Uncle Jimmy” would go out of his way to help people in need, according to the Albany County District Attorney’s Office.