Orange County Man Receives Max Sentence In Arson Murder Case

GOSHEN, NY — A Montgomery man who was found guilty by a jury in an arson murder case received his sentence Tuesday in Orange County Court.

Ryan Veloce, 32, of Montgomery was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison, the maximum sentence he faces.

He had previously been convicted by a jury of crimes including second-degree murder and first-degree arson.

During the court appearance, the sentencing judge said to Veloce that one of the ironies of the case was that the victim had saved Veloce's life the night before, by administering Narcan to reverse the effects of a drug overdose.

The judge further noted that had it not been for the heroic actions of the victim alerting other occupants in the house that there was a fire, more people would have died.

The district attorney's office said the convictions were in connection with a fire that destroyed a single-family house located on Barron Road in the town of Montgomery the morning of June 10, 2021.

A 46-year-old man, who lived in the house, was rescued by firefighters after becoming trapped in the house. The man later died that morning at St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital as a result of smoke inhalation.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Veloce, who had been an overnight guest in the home, had intentionally set the fire using kerosene because he believed the dead man, who was asleep at the time, had stolen Veloce's cocaine the night before the fire.

Around 7 a.m. June 10, 2021, Town of Montgomery Police Department and firefighters responded to the burning home on Barron Road. Veloce, who initially denied having been in the house, was seen walking from the vicinity of the fire.

A trained arson detection canine team from the Orange County Sheriff's Office aided arson investigators in determining the point of origin of the fire.

Subsequent lab tests by the New York State Police confirmed that a liquid accelerant, likely kerosene, was used to start the fire, and the fire had been started in the bedroom Veloce had occupied.

District Attorney David Hoovler said Veloce's actions were rightfully met with the maximum sentence allowed by law.

"The defendant set the deadly fire in this case under cover of night, without eyewitnesses present," he said. "But for the dedicated and skilled investigation by the law enforcement agencies, coupled with the hard and steadfast work of the prosecutors who handled the case, this defendant would not have been held responsible for his crimes."