Hankins attempted-murder verdict upheld by appellate court

The conviction of a Toms River man for nearly killing a woman with a knife in Lakewood on New Year's Eve 2011 is affirmed on appeal.

Appellate judges upheld the first-degree attempted-murder verdict handed to Thomas Hankins on Thursday, according to the office of Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato.

Hankins, 68, was found guilty in 2014, following brief jury deliberation. He is serving a 20-year sentence, with 17 mandatory years of time served before parole eligiblity.

Prosecutors successfully argued that Hankins, seven minutes before midnight, took out a knife and slit the throat of Diane Sasso, 58 at the time, inside the Lakewood VFW, then stepped outside and slashed his own throat.

Sasso and Hankins were rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. Investigators said that Sasso's jugular vein was severed. Prosecutors added that she has not worked since the attack, and suffers ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Hankins has been incarcerated since being taken into custody on January 4, 2012.