Neither Raymond A. Berg nor his attorney had anything to say before Berg was sentenced Thursday in Ramsey County District Court to almost eight years in prison for stabbing a Cub Foods cashier in January.
The victim, Michael Esteban, did speak. "I've got to live with the pain this man caused me for the rest of my life," he said.
Esteban told District Judge Marybeth Dorn that he suffers pain in his chest every day, at work, at home and while playing with his child.
According to the charges, Berg, 25, of St. Paul, walked into the grocery store in the Sun Ray shopping center in St. Paul and stabbed Esteban in the chest. After the attack, Berg reportedly paced near the exit doors, holding the knife overhead. He appeared to be in a daze, witnesses said.
When interviewed by police, Berg said he was under a doctor's care but didn't have mental health medication. He knew right from wrong, he said, but was in a "situation where he can't afford anything and just wanted out." He was deemed competent to stand trial.
Berg pleaded guilty in June to one count of first-degree assault. At Thursday's sentencing hearing, Dorn gave him credit for the 158 days he has spent in custody and imposed a $50 fine to be paid after he pays restitution for Esteban's out-of-pocket expenses related to the stabbing.
PAT PHEIFER
