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Simon Brault, 20, was fatally stabbed outside his family’s Clifton Park home on Saturday, May 31, as Daily Voice previously reported. But for his father Bernard, the story is about something more: bravery, brotherhood, and sacrifice.
“If Simon had not been there, [the attacker] would’ve stabbed my wife, me, or [Simon’s brother] Paul,” the elder Brault told Daily Voice.
The grieving dad said the altercation began around 2 p.m.—on prom day. A 17-year-old boy, reportedly upset over a breakup with a girl and Instagram messages involving 17-year-old Paul, showed up at their Beresford Road home asking for “Pablo”—Paul’s Instagram username.
When Paul stepped outside, the boy immediately threatened him.
“The first thing he says to Paul is, ‘I don’t know you, but I’m gonna punch you in the face,’” Brault recalled the boy telling his younger son.
The situation escalated fast. As Paul tried to defuse the tension, the 17-year-old punched him in the face. Simon, hearing the commotion from inside, stepped out to defend his brother.
Home security footage provided to Daily Voice shows the boys continuing to fight as they end up on the front lawn while Simon tries to intervene.
Seconds later, an 18-year-old man—since identified by police as Jaiden Ildefonso—emerges from a nearby car wearing gloves and a ski mask. He runs up to the group and makes two jabbing motions toward Simon.
“Simon stood up in front of him,” Brault said. “And then he got stabbed twice.”
The entire confrontation, from the punch to the stabbing, lasted less than 30 seconds and was captured on the family’s security camera, he said.
Simon collapsed in the driveway as the perpetrators—along with a girl who had accompanied them—fled the scene in a red Mercedes sedan. Audio from inside their vehicle, recorded on a dashcam, later helped authorities piece together the crime.
Simon was rushed to Albany Medical Center, but despite doctors’ efforts, he died eight hours after the attack.
“When Simon died, that was surreal,” Brault said. “You have no idea how surreal that is. That’s a very dark moment in my life.”
The 17-year-old suspect and Ildefonso were both arrested in the following weeks. Ildefanso faces charges of second-degree murder, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office. The girl, whom Brault said is the sister of the 17-year-old and girlfriend of Ildefonso, has not been charged.
‘We Want Justice, Not Revenge’
Simon’s death has left his family devastated, especially Paul, who Brault says feels responsible.
“I’m pretty sure deep down he feels like, he came after him and his brother stood up and took the blow,” Brault said. “Paul feels very responsible."
But Brault is clear about how the family plans to carry Simon’s legacy forward—not through hatred, but through purpose.
“I told Simon’s friends, there’s not going to be any revenge. I hate what they did, but we’re not going to hate these people,” he recalled saying to them. “Hatred doesn’t do anything good for anyone. We want justice, but not revenge.”
A Second Chance For Others
Just weeks before his death, Simon had graduated from Hudson Valley Community College with a degree in Electrical Construction and Maintenance. On his 19th birthday, he had asked for a Bible and had recently started attending church.
“He would say, ‘I want to be a better person today than I was yesterday,’” Brault said.
That spirit now lives on through the Simon Brault Second Chance Memorial Scholarship, launched by the family to support students who have faced adversity and are working toward a better future.
“Simon was kind-hearted and a truly good person,” Bernard wrote on Facebook, thanking the community for the flood of support in the days since his son's death. “Your words and thoughts mean a lot to us. They are like little stars in a very dark sky.”
The family is planning a second memorial for Simon in Quebec on Saturday, July 19.
To donate to the scholarship, visit HVCC’s donation page and select the fund from the dropdown list.
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