Jason Funderburke, of Hempstead, sentenced to 25 years in prison for stabbing Amityville funeral parlor owner

A Hempstead man with a lengthy criminal history called a Suffolk County judge "the devil" on Wednesday after being sentenced to 25 years behind bars for stabbing the owner of an Amityville funeral parlor during a robbery.

At an afternoon sentencing, Jason Funderburke, 39, who is bipolar, according to his lawyer, mounted multiple objections to Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei, prompting the judge to have him temporarily taken out of the courtroom.

A Suffolk County jury convicted Funderburke on three counts of robbery and one count of assault on March 12.

Prosecutors said during the trial that he and an accomplice showed up at the funeral home on Aug. 29, 2023 around 11:30 a.m. with a photo of the proprietor’s family and demanded money at knifepoint. When the man refused, the assailants attacked him, stabbing him twice and stealing his wallet and cellphones. The man was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was treated and recovered.

Throughout the Wednesday sentencing, Funderburke, who has previous convictions for robbery, drug dealing and possession going back to 2004, repeatedly shouted "objection" to Mazzei and told the court he was refusing sentencing because he had voluntarily not participated in the probation department’s presentencing investigation.

"This is a violation of my federal rights," he told the judge.

Funderburke continued to talk over Assistant District Attorney Kieran Rogers, prompting Mazzei to tell the defendant to "shut up."

The sentencing came before pre-trial testimony for alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex A. Heuermann, which has been heavily covered by the press.

"I hope the reporters are getting all of this," Funderburke said.

He likened his prison term to a death sentence, then ordered his last meal from the judge.

"Chicken noodle soup and a Coke," he told Mazzei.

The judge had court officers remove Funderburke from the courtroom to allow the prosecutor to continue his presentation uninterrupted, then brought him back in to hear his sentence.

Funderburke's attorney, Chase Brown, of Central Islip, said his client is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and asked the judge to show him leniency.

Funderburke called Mazzei "the devil" as he left the courtroom.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said the lengthy sentence should keep Funderburke from hurting anyone else for a long time.

"We will not tolerate violent attacks in Suffolk County," Tierney said in a statement. "This three-time convicted felon made the choice to rob and stab an owner of a funeral home, someone who serves our community during their most solemn moments. Let me be clear that we will do everything in our power to protect our citizens from violent criminals. This sentence will ensure that defendant Funderburke is no longer able to hurt our residents."

With Grant Parpan