2 Indicted In Killing Of LI Father Of Marist College Student

EAST NORTHPORT, NY — Two men were indicted in the killing of a Long Island father of a Marist College student, who was killed by a stray bullet at a hotel during family weekend.

Roy Johnson, 35, was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, felonies, in the death of Paul Kutz, 53, of East Northport, District Attorney William Grady said.

Devin Taylor, 26, was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and a count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies.

Taylor and Johnson were indicted Tuesday by a Dutchess County grand jury. Both men were scheduled to appear in court Friday, prosecutors said.

The two men were homeless and did not have fixed addresses, Poughkeepsie police said. It isn’t known how long they were staying at the motel.

Kutz was shot and killed during a disturbance at Courtyard by Marriott in Poughkeepsie on Oct. 2. The father of three sons was attending the family weekend celebration for one son who attends Marist.

According to prosecutors, around 7:30 a.m. Oct. 2, Johnson entered the lobby of the hotel on South Road, which is also called Route 9, in Poughkeepsie.

He was armed with a 9 mm Glock semi-automatic pistol that was outfitted with a fixed pin, making it fully automatic, authorities said.

Johnson cursed and paced around the lobby, and tried to get around the front desk, but was stopped by the clerk, law enforcement said. He then turned away from the clerk, pulled out the pistol and shot Kutz on the right side of his chest. Kutz died within minutes.

Prosecutors said Johnson continued firing inside the lobby, then went back into the hotel, where he was taken into custody.

Taylor, according to prosecutors, had a loaded AR-15 style, fully automatic rifle with no serial number in his hotel room. He also had a Walther 22P pistol in his possession while in the courtyard area of the hotel.

When he was confronted by police, he ran in and out of the building and courtyard. Eventually, he was found by an officer who ordered him to the ground. The pistol was found later by authorities up against the wall of the hotel.

Taylor also had in his hotel room assorted ammunition, rifle parts, a firearm bi-pod, a firearm scope, explosive targets, a flash bang and a smoke bomb, among other items, according to prosecutors.

Kutz’s funeral was held Monday in East Northport on Long Island. He is survived by his wife, Nathalie, and sons Matt, Ryan and Sean. He also leaves behind three brothers and their families.