Suspects arraigned in dad's Poughkeepsie hotel shooting death
Roy Johnson, Jr., and Devin Taylor are accused of opening fire in the lobby of a Courtyard Marriott hotel, killing Paul Kutz.
POUGHKEEPSIE, New York (WABC) -- Two men were arraigned Friday in the fatal shooting of a father visiting his son at Marist College for Family Weekend.
Both appeared separately at their arraignment, and both men entered "not guilty" pleas.
Roy Johnson, Jr., and Devin Taylor are accused of opening fire at the Courtyard Marriott hotel near the college campus in Poughkeepsie on October 2nd.
Johnson allegedly fired several rounds in the lobby, one of which struck 53-year-old Paul Kutz, an accountant from Long Island, who was checking out at the time.
Taylor, who was staying at the hotel with Johnson, is facing weapons charges.
He allegedly possessed a handgun and a semi-automatic rifle that was found in the room.
A question has been raised about why Johnson was free at the time.
At the arraignment, a detective from Georgia, where Johnson is wanted in a previous gun case, noted that he is also a suspect in a gang-related murder in Poughkeepsie.
Town of Poughkeepsie Police say they were unaware there was an outstanding warrant for Johnson's arrest.
As for this case, Johnson's lawyers entered a "not guilty" plea on his behalf.
"At the point, the district attorney's office has not provided us with the discovery yet and the evidence," said defense attorney Robert DeMono. "So they need to provide that to us first. We'll examine the evidence, we'll share that with our client, and then we'll go from there."
Johnson waived the extradition back to Georgia. It is unclear whether he will be returned to that state, given the pending murder case in Poughkeepsie.
Both men are being held without bail.
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