Manhattan man receives 23 years for attempted second-degree murder

In August, a jury found Koch guilty of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery, burglary and theft.

Koch had filed a motion for a new trial in mid-September and said his former lawyer, Christopher Biggs, made spontaneous decisions without consulting him first and failed to make timely objections, not giving him a fair trial. The court later denied it during a hearing on Dec. 28.

The charges stem from an Oct. 10, 2019, incident, during which Koch wrapped a cord around the neck of Neta Ambar, 37, in her home.

During the trial, Koch admitted he was a methamphetamine user and was high about an hour before the incident. He said he went inside the home to steal, but he “absolutely positively” did not try to strangle her and said they got caught up in the cords hanging from her curtain rod throughout the fight.