FIRST ON FOX: Mugshot photos show two ex-cons charged in connection with the “random” shooting death of a man visiting a New York suburb for his son’s Marist College “Family Weekend.”
Roy Johnson Jr. and Devin Taylor were arrested Sunday on charges related to the early morning shooting at a Marriott Courtyard located just miles from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Booking photos obtained by Fox News Digital on Tuesday show each of the straight-faced suspects, who are being held at the Dutchess County Jail in Poughkeepsie.
Johnson, the 35-year-old who allegedly shot and killed the victim, was charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He was ordered held without bond. His Dutchess County Jail mugshot photo shows him wearing a blue top and with a face mask looped around one ear, with a beard and one eyebrow slightly raised.
Records show he was booked into the jail’s custody around 2:11 p.m. on Monday.
Split image shows mugshot photos for Roy Johnson Jr. and Devin Taylor, the men accused in the Oct. 2, 2022 shooting in Poughkeepsie, New York.
(Dutchess County Jail)
Taylor, 26, was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and was ordered held on $500,000 cash bail or $1 million bond, police officials have said. His mugshot photo shows a crazy-haired, bearded man staring stone-faced into the camera and wearing an orange shirt.
Officers with the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department were called to a Courtyard Marriott on South Road near Evergreen Avenue in Poughkeepsie around 7:30 a.m. Sunday for a report of a “disturbance” that involved shots being fired, the agency wrote in a post on Facebook.
Image shows mugshot photo for Devin Taylor, who was arrested in connection with the Oct. 2, 2022 shooting at a Poughkeepsie, New York Marriott.
(Dutchess County Jail)
Poughkeepsie is located about 80 miles from New York City and is also home to Vassar College and nearby Dutchess Community College. The death and the disturbing discoveries came at a time when relatives were visiting their loved ones’ campuses for similar weekend reunions.
Police arrived and discovered the wounded victim – identified by the Poughkeepsie Journal as 53-year-old Paul Kutz – inside the hotel. He was rushed to an area hospital, but could not be saved.
Image shows mugshot photo for Roy Johnson, who was arrested in connection with the Oct. 2, 2022 shooting at a Poughkeepsie, New York Marriott.
(Dutchess County Jail)
Local news station NBC 4 New York cited a “source” in reporting that the suspects were allegedly smoking a “PCP-like substance” in a hotel room when the gunman went to the lobby for coffee. The gunman then allegedly began arguing with people in the lobby, at which time the suspect opened fire on the victim, the outlet reported.
Investigators determined shots were fired both inside and outside the hotel, which is located just over four miles from Marist College.
Police enter the hotel where a man was found shot to death in Poughkeepsie, New York, Sunday Oct. 2, 2022. The man was found at the Courtyard by Marriott on South Road. During a subsequent search of the building, a hotel room was found to contain manuals related to the making of explosive devices, as well as materials with the potential to be used as explosives.
(Action News)
A search of the building revealed “manuals related to the making of explosive devices, as well as materials with the potential to be used as explosives” in a hotel room, police said.
The gunman, Johnson, intended to shoot the victim, but added that there were “no ties” between the victim and the gunman, Town of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Joseph Cavaliere told reporters during a Monday press conference.
“The suspect did not know the victim,” Cavaliere went on. “This, we believe, was a random act.”
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Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro said the community extended its condolences to the victim’s family, and told reporters: “Innocent individuals convening in the lobby of a hotel, going about their business, were tragically impacted, and one life horrifically taken.”
