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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…
Dealer Used Girlfriend, Middleman in Cocaine Trafficking Scheme In Hudson Valley: DA
A man has pleaded guilty to serious drug and weapons charges stemming from a multi-agency investigation that uncovered a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation in Orange County, prosecutors announced.
Ronald Davis, 53, entered a guilty plea on Wednesday, May 28 in Orange County Court to first-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies, the Orange County District Attorney's Office announced.
According to court documents and statements made during the plea, the investigation began on September 23, 2024, when D…
‘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…
Former Cop Who Killed Westchester 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…
Violent Gas Station Robbery, Attack On Clerk In Hudson Valley: Second Suspect Gets Prison Time
A second man involved in a violent armed robbery at an Orange County gas station has learned how much time he will spend behind bars, weeks after his co-defendant received an 11-year sentence, prosecutors announced.
Nasier Codett, 23, of Newburgh, was sentenced on Wednesday, Feb. 26, in Orange County Court to 8.5 years in prison in connection with an armed robbery in Newburgh in July 2023, according to Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler.
The robbery occurred on July 1, 2023, when Codett and Shelby cut power to a gas station in Newburgh, plunging the store into darkness b…
Break-In Victim Wakes Up To Man's Hand On Her Mouth In Hudson Valley: Suspect Faces Jail Time
A 44-year-old man with a violent criminal history has admitted to attempted burglary after breaking into a woman’s Orange County home, threatening to kill her, and trying to pull her shirt down, prosecutors said.
Jason Simpson of Middletown pleaded guilty in Orange County Court on Monday, Feb. 24, to second-degree attempted burglary in connection with an incident in October 2024 at a Middletown residence, the Orange County District Attorney's Office announced.
The break-in happened around 11:20 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2024, when the victim, who was asleep in her home, woke up to Simpson stan…
Ringleader, Gun Maker From Hudson Valley Get Years In Jail In Massive 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…
