2 NY men sentenced to prison in Binghamton student beating that led to diplomatic conflict

2 NY men sentenced in Binghamton student beating

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Two New York men have been sentenced to two years in prison for beating a Binghamton University student, an attack that led to diplomatic conflict between the U.S. and Serbia over another suspect.

Twenty-five-year-old Edin Dzubar, of Johnson City, and 22-year-old Sanel Softic, of Binghamton, had already pleaded guilty to assault for kicking Bryan Steinhauer at a bar in May 2008. Steinhauer, a senior from Brooklyn, was in a coma for months. Dzubar and Softic apologized at sentencing Wednesday.

The main suspect in the case is Miladin Kovacevic (koh-VAH’-cheh-vich), a 23-year-old basketball player who fled to his native Serbia. The Serbian government paid Steinhauer’s family $900,000 last year in a deal to prosecute Kovacevic in Serbia, where hearings began last month.

Information from: Press & Sun-Bulletin, www.pressconnects.com