MAYVILLE – A former Fredonia man has been sentenced to one to three years in state prison after he pled guilty to a charge of manslaughter in the first degree for his involvement in the murder of Robert James Stiffler.

Donald Saden, 55, was sentenced Tuesday in Chautauqua County Court.

Stiffler’s body was found on January 5, 1971 in a field off Route 83 in the Town of Arkwright.  Stiffler was 25-years-old at the time and a Vietnam War veteran.  An autopsy revealed he Stiffler died from multiple stab wounds. 

At the time of the murder Saden was 17 and a resident of Fredonia, New York.  Since that time Saden relocated to Austin, Texas. He was arrested at his home in Texas on August 28, 2008 and was brought back to Chautauqua County to answer the charges. 

During his plea Saden said that he and his brother, Thomas, now deceased, only intended to “rough up” Stiffler, but things got out of hand.