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Dutchess County District Attorney William Grady announced on Friday, Oct. 7, that a grand jury voted to indict Roy Johnson and Devin Taylor in the death of Long Island resident Paul Kutz, age 53, of East Northport, at the Courtyard by Marriott in the Town of Poughkeepsie on Sunday, Oct. 2.
The indictment did away with the need for a preliminary hearing, which was scheduled for Friday, Grady said.
Now that Johnson, age 35, and Taylor, age 26, have been indicted by the grand jury, a formal indictment will be filed with the court and an arraignment will follow.
Kutz was staying at the hotel as he took part in Marist College family weekend which ran from Friday, Sept. 30 through Sunday, Oct. 2, when the shooting occurred.
The murder took place when Johnson was in the lobby of the hotel and Johnson allegedly shot Kutz "unprovoked," said the Town of Poughkeepsie Police.
Previous reports had said the suspects had gotten into a fight with hotel staff over coffee, but last week police said: "The Town of Poughkeepsie Police has no information indicating that there was an argument between Roy Johnson, Jr. and anyone in the lobby of the Courtyard Marriott at the time of the shooting on Sunday, October 2, 2022. At this point of the investigation, the shooting appears to have been unprovoked."
Following their arrest, Johnson was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was remanded to the Dutchess County Jail without bail
Taylor was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and was also remanded to jail on $500,000 cash, $1 million bond, or $5 million partially secured, authorities said.
This remains a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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