Fatal Newburgh Stabbing Yields Manslaughter Plea In Hudson Valley

NEWBURGH, NY — A Newburgh man who stabbed a person in the heart will be going to prison.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said that, on Tuesday, Eric McCollum, 28, of Newburgh, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, a felony.

Under the plea agreement, it is expected that he will be sentenced to 15 years in state prison and five years of post-release supervision when he is sentenced Dec. 21.

Prosecutors said, around 1:45 a.m. May 28, McCollum and Jose Soto, 38, were having a verbal dispute on Broadway in the city of Newburgh.

During the argument, McCollum stabbed Soto once in the torso, piercing his heart. He then fled the scene.

City of Newburgh police officers responded and gave Soto immediate medical attention. However, he later died of his injuries.

Detectives from the City of Newburgh Police Department later developed McCollum as the suspect, and he was arrested days after the incident.

Hoovler said that petty disputes should never be resolved with violence.

“The result of this defendant’s actions is both irreversible and tragic,” he said. “I hope the outcome of the case gives some degree of closure to the family of the victim.”