Gay Club Dancer Stabbed Rental Host After Several Unwanted Advances
More details are emerging about the case of an aspiring personal trainer who stabbed his rental host 16 times.
As reported by The Blaze, Geoffrey Tracy, a former fitness model and dancer at a gay strip club, has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted of first-degree assault and second-degree attempted assault. Tracy reportedly stabbed 50-year-old Gregory Kanczes nearly to death after months of warding off his sexual advances.
However, evidence shows Tracy might have been plotting to commit the crime all along.
"In 2018, Geoffrey Tracy was 25 years old, living in California, and trying to forge a career as a personal trainer and fitness model," The Blade reports. "To enhance his profile, he allegedly took steroids and posted images of his physique on social media platforms like Instagram."
The owner of a gay strip club in New York spotted Tracy and offered him a gig as a dancer in the city. Tracy took the gig as a way to make money while he followed his dreams, and was soon connected to Kanczes for a place to stay in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.
Tracy alleged that Kanczes consistently made advances on him, "stroking his legs" and "molesting him." Then, one night, he became so enraged that he grabbed a knife and stabbed Kanczes numerous times, fled the scene, and left Kanczes for dead.
Tracy "held his host, who was unarmed, at knifepoint in the building while threatening to kill him," a press release from District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. stated. "As the host tried to walk away by going to the stairwell and walking upstairs, TRACY followed him. When the host paused on the stairs, TRACY stabbed him in the chest, and in the altercation that ensued further stabbed the host in the neck, torso, and arms repeatedly. He eventually charged a second time, stabbing him in the back. The incident was recorded, in part, on TRACY'S cell phone."
Text messages on Tracy's phone indicated that Tracy had threatened to choke Kanczes and planned to claim "self-defense if he killed him," according to the investigating police.
"It is only by the grace of God that I survived your assault that nearly ended my life," said a victim impact statement written by Kanczes but read aloud by the prosecutor. Kanczes was not present at the hearing.
The New York Post adds: "Justice Curtis Farber cited cellphone footage of the Aug. 14, 2018 crime as he sentenced Tracy — who was convicted at trial of assault and attempted assault last month — saying he was disturbed by the sight of 'a man literally having been assaulted by Mr. Tracy.' "
"The video speaks for itself. It captures exactly what happened in all its horror. It had an unarmed man in his underwear being pursued at knife point out of his house," the judge said.
During his turn to speak at the hearing, Tracy, now 30, fought back tears and expressed regret: "I wish I could go back in time and avoid coming to New York altogether, but I realize that option doesn't exist."
He added, "I am not a violent person. I've never even been in a fistfight prior to this anomaly that happened back in 2018."
Tracy was convicted on Dec. 15.