2 Men Indicted In Poughkeepsie Marriott Fatal Shooting

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — The two men accused in the death of a Long Island man who was visiting Poughkeepsie during Marist College’s family weekend were indicted Tuesday by a Dutchess County grand jury.

District Attorney William Grady said Roy A. 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 J. Kutz, 53, of East Northport, Suffolk County.

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

Both men are scheduled to be arraigned Friday, the district attorney’s office said.

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

Kutz was shot and killed during a disturbance at Courtyard by Marriott in Poughkeepsie Oct. 2. The father of three sons was attending the family weekend celebration for one of his sons 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 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol that had been outfitted with a fixed pin making it fully automatic, authorities said.

Johnson, who had been cursing and pacing around the lobby, attempted 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 in the right side of his chest.

Authorities said Kutz died within minutes of being shot.

Prosecutors said Johnson continued firing shots inside the lobby, after which he went back into the hotel where he was located by police and taken into custody.

Taylor, according to the district attorney, had a loaded AR-15 style fully automatic rifle that had 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.