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Convicted Killer Executed Neighbor, Dumped Body On Woodridge Rail Trail, Jury Finds
A Hudson Valley man already serving time for murder was found guilty of killing his neighbor and concealing the body.
Jonte Wunner, 27, of Monticello, was found guilty of second-degree murder and related charges in Sullivan County Court on Friday, Sept. 19, in the 2024 killing of Jose Rodriguez.
Jurors determined that on Oct. 4, 2024, Wunner intentionally beat and shot Rodriguez, 42, to death inside a home on Lakewood Avenue in Monticello. They found that he then wrapped Rodriguez’s body in a tarp and transported it to the Woodridge rail trail, where it was discovered by investigators.
Evi…
High Driver Who Rolled Car, Killing 14-Year-Old NY Girl Sentenced To Prison
A 19-year-old man will spend years in prison for a high-speed crash that killed a teenage girl and seriously injured her brother in upstate New York.
Everhett Hatlee, of Troy, was sentenced to five to 15 years behind bars in Saratoga County Court on Friday, Sept. 5, after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide.
Hatlee admitted to driving while impaired by cannabis on June 29, 2024, when he lost control of his vehicle along Fonda Road in Waterford. The teen, 18 at the time, was speeding when the car went off the road, became airborne, and struck multiple utility poles before coming…
Ex-NJ Corrections Officer Who Killed GF, Best Friend Sentenced: Report
A former Hudson County corrections officer who killed his girlfriend and her friend in 2021 has learned his fate.
John P. Menendez has been sentenced to 50 years in state prison for the killings of Anna Shpilberg and Luiza Shinkarevskaya, both 40, with his service weapon in Newark in February 2021, NJ Advance Media reports.
Police found Shpilberg, of Randolph, suffering a gunshot wound at Edison Place and Bruen Street around 9 p.m., on Feb. 16, 2021, then-Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose said at the time.
Shi…
‘He Wanted A Boy’: Husband Who Murdered Pregnant Wife, Attacked 2 Daughters In NY Gets Decades
A New York man who admitted to brutally stabbing his pregnant wife to death and severely injuring their two young daughters will spend the next three decades behind bars.
Drew Garnier, 33, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in Delaware County Court on Tuesday, May 13, for the death of his 29-year-old wife Samantha.
The September 4, 2024, attack occurred inside the family’s home on Houck Road in Masonville. Garnier repeatedly stabbed Samantha and the children, according to prosecutors. Samantha died while the two young girls, though gravely injured, survived the attack.
While reading his …
Former Cop Convicted Of Killing NY Native Husband In 'Freak Accident' Learns Fate: Prosecutor
Joseph Grieco, a former Tenafly police officer convicted of fatally shooting his husband in what he called a freak accident was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Thursday, April 10, authorities said.
Grieco was previously convicted of aggravated manslaughter and faced up to 30 years in prison.
On Tuesday, July 25, 2023, Grieco and his husband John Kelly, a former New York City police officer, were at their Vernon Township home after a night out with friends, Acting Sussex County Prosecutor Sahil Kabse said. Grieco, who had been drinking, retrieved his handgun, a Gen4 Glock…
Widower Details Every Injury Late Wife Suffered In Area Drunk Driving Crash During Sentencing
Nearly a year after a wife and mother was killed in a head-on, drunk driving crash in the Capital Region, the man responsible is heading to prison.
Matthew Monthie, 29, of Clifton Park, was sentenced to three to 10 years behind bars in Albany County Court on Tuesday, March 4, following his conviction for manslaughter and related charges in the death of Shawna Marzhal.
Monthie was driving westbound on Route 85 in Bethlehem when he crossed over the center line and struck the 53-year-old Marzahl in the eastbound lane early on May 1, 2024, according to prosecutors.
Marzahl, of Selkirk, suffere…
Dine-n-Dasher Attacked Restaurant Owner In Region, Causing Brain Injury: Jury
A diner trying to skip out on his bill attacked a Capital Region restaurant owner, leaving the victim with brain damage, a jury found.
Lucas Healey, 43, of Albany, was found guilty of robbery and assault following a three-day trial in Albany Supreme Court on Monday, Jan. 27.
Healey was dining and drinking at Shogun Sushi & Sake Bar on Madison Avenue in Albany on May 29, 2024, when he attempted to leave after only paying $50 of his $425 bill, the Albany County DA’s office said.
When restaurant employees confronted him outside and asked him to return to pay the remainder of his bill, an …
Man, GF Learn Fate For Grisly Murder Of His 85-Year-Old Grandfather In Hudson Valley
A Rockland County man and his girlfriend have been sentenced for their roles in killing his 85-year-old grandfather, stealing his belongings and hiding his body in 2023, authorities said.
Constantinos Doonan, 32, also known as “Dino,” and Jo-Ann Haughey, 28, both of New City, were convicted in the January 2023 killing of Constantinos Mastakouris at his home on Ruth Drive in New City, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II said.
On Tuesday, Dec. 3, authorities announced that Doonan was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison while Haughey received 15 years for ma…
Man Who Attacked Girlfriend With Belt In Region Faces 20 Years In Prison
A man is facing 20 years in prison after being found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend with a belt, severely wounding her in front of two toddlers in the region.
Dutchess County resident Javan McMillon, age 28, of Poughkeepsie, was convicted by a jury on Tuesday, Oct. 8, following two days of deliberations, said Dutchess County District Attorney Office Anthony Parisi.
The attack occurred on Saturday, March 9, on Bement Ave., in the city of Poughkeepsie, when McMillon repeatedly struck his girlfriend with a leather belt, causing substantial pain and bruising, the DA's office said.
Parisi…
Drug Trafficker From Region Admits Guilt, Faces 13 Years In Prison
A major Hudson Valley drug trafficker pleaded guilty to selling drugs and is expected to spend up to 13 years in prison.
Orang County resident Andrew Mitchell, aka "Loc," age 49, of Chester, pleaded on Friday, Sept. 27.
According to Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, Mitchell was arrested as a result of an over four-month-long investigation designed to disrupt major narcotics trafficking in the City of Port Jervis and surrounding areas, including Pike County, Pennsylvania.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Final Blow,” resulted in the seizure o…
Brothers Sentenced For Brutal Killing Of Man From Region
Two brothers who killed a Hudson Valley man who shot him 12 times and left him lying in his driveway to be found by a sanitation worker have been sentenced to years in prison.
The incident occurred in Ulster County in Jan. 2023 in Plattekill.
The men, Orange County resident Junando Dawkins, age 30, of Newburgh, and his brother, Juwaugh Dawkins, age 34, of Jacksonville, Florida, were sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
According to the Ulster County District Attorney, Emmanuel Nneji, New York State Police conducted the investigation into the shooting death of…
Couple From Region Admits Killing Grandfather, Stealing His Belongings, DA Says
A Hudson Valley man and woman have pleaded guilty to murder and manslaughter in connection with the strangling death of the man's grandfather.
According to the Rockland County District Attorney's Office, the couple "brutally" killed the victim in 2023 at a house in New City sometime between Sunday, Jan. 29, and Monday, Jan. 30.
On Monday, Sept.16, Rockland County resident Constantinos Doonan, also known as "Dino," aged 32, of New City, pleaded guilty to the murder of his grandfather, Constantinos Mastakouris.
Additionally, Jo-Ann Haughey, age 26, also of New City, admitted to manslau…
Hudson Valley Dealer Admits Selling Fentanyl, Causing 3 Deaths, 3 Overdoses
A Hudson Valley man has admitted in court that he sold fentanyl that resulted in three deaths and three overdoses, according to Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
The incidents occurred in Rockland County between Feb. 2020 and April 2022.
Williams said Justin Turnick, age 25, of Congers, pled guilty to distributing the fentanyl causing the deaths and overdoses on Tuesday, Aug. 6, in US District Court.
“Justin Turnick’s actions didn’t just facilitate addiction—they fueled a crisis that claimed lives and inflicted unimaginable suffering," Willaims said.
Acco…
'Finally Got Justice': 24-Year-Old Convicted In Woman's Strangling In Capital Region
Two years after a young woman was found dead on state land in the region, her killer has been convicted.
Rensselaer County resident Ian Hasselwander, age 24, of Petersburgh, was found guilty of murder and related charges by a Rensselaer County jury on Wednesday, July 24, in the death of Morgan Bates.
The 20-year-old Cambridge Central High School graduate was found dead in Cherry Plain State Park, along Black River Road in Stephentown, on Feb. 27, 2022 a week after relatives reported her missing.
An autopsy found that she had been strangled, according to the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Offi…
Babysitter Admits Raping, Murdering 3-Year-Old NY Girl Found Covered In Bleach
One year after a 3-year-old New York girl was found murdered inside her home, the man responsible has formally confessed.
Rensselaer County resident Robert Fisher, age 34, of Rensselaer, pleaded guilty to murder and rape on Tuesday, July 9, in the death of Josefina Cunningham.
According to prosecutors, emergency crews were called to the girl's Rensselaer home near Broadway and Tracy Street on July 7, 2023, after relatives found her not breathing.
Earlier Report: Man Rapes, Murders 3-Year-Old Girl At Home In Region, DA Says
Josefina’s mother found her lying lifeless on the floor, fo…
