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Convicted Killer Executed Neighbor, Dumped Body On NY 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…
Painter-For-Hire Admits Raping 11-Year-Old In NY Home While Working, DA Says
A 60-year-old man has pleaded guilty to raping an 11-year-old girl while working as a painter at a Northern Westchester apartment building, prosecutors announced.
Anselmo Yambay Pena of Peekskill admitted in Westchester County Court on Tuesday, Sept. 2, to first-degree rape, Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace announced on Wednesday, Sept. 3.
Yambay Pena's guilty plea was in connection with an incident on Feb. 15, 2024, when he was hired to paint apartments at a Peekskill residential building. On that day, he raped the 11-year-old inside her family’s apartment, prosec…
Threats To Son Lead To NY Man's More Than Decade-Long Sentence : DA
A 47-year-old Orange County father's threatening text messages to his son set off a chain of events that has now landed him behind bars for more than a decade, prosecutors said.
Justin Babik, age 47, of Goshen, was sentenced on Tuesday, Aug. 26, to 15 years in state prison and five years of post-release supervision after being convicted of illegally possessing a loaded firearm while on parole, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
The case began on May 8, 2024, when Babik got into an argument with his son around noon and followed up with threat…
Man Hopped Off Bike, Then Beat, Robbed Victim In Broad Daylight In NY: DA
A 54-year-old man has been found guilty in a violent daylight robbery in Orange County, prosecutors said.
On Thursday, Aug. 7, Robert Smith, 54, of Newburgh, was convicted of second-degree robbery after a jury trial in Orange County Court, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Prosecutors said the incident happened on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, around 1:10 p.m. while Smith was riding a bicycle in the City of Newburgh. Smith allegedly argued with a man on the street and demanded money.
When the man refused and kept walking, Smith got off the bicycle and punched h…
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 …
Man Admits Attacking Jewish Barber With Scissors In Hudson Valley
A man has pleaded guilty to a violent hate crime after slashing a Jewish barber in an antisemitic attack inside the victim’s Westchester County barbershop, prosecutors announced.
Yonkers resident Ahmed Al Jabali, 34, admitted in court Thursday, April 17, to second-degree assault as a hate crime for the attack, which happened on August 29, 2024, in Yonkers, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday, April 21.
Prosecutors said Al Jabali entered Slava Shushakov’s barbershop and asked for a shave before suddenly grabbing a pair of shears. He called the bar…
Inmate Caught With Sharp Metal Weapon In Pat-Down At Fishkill Correctional Facility: DA
A Dutchess County inmate has admitted to possessing a homemade metal weapon inside Fishkill Correctional Facility and now faces more prison time, prosecutors announced.
Michael Ramirez, 28, pleaded guilty on Thursday, April 10, to first-degree promoting prison contraband in connection with the incident, the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office said on Tuesday, April 15.
The charges stem from May 5, 2024, when Ramirez was being moved between housing units at the state prison in Fishkill. During a routine pat frisk, a corrections officer noticed Ramirez acting sus…
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…
Poughkeepsie Ringleader, Gun Maker From Dutchess Get Years In Jail In Drug, Firearm Bust
A Poughkeepsie man who ran a major drug and firearms trafficking operation in Dutchess County will serve more than a decade behind bars, while his top weapons supplier—who built ghost guns in his home—was sentenced to even more time, authorities announced.
New York Attorney General Letitia James revealed on Wednesday, Jan. 29, that Muayad Qader, 35, of Poughkeepsie, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple felonies for his role in a sprawling narcotics and illegal firearms network. His main supplier, Jason Knapp, a Dutchess County resident who built untrace…
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…
Dutchess County Man Who Attacked Girlfriend With Belt 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…
Hudson Valley Drug Trafficker 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 Hudson Valley Man
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…
Hudson Valley Couple 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…
