Man accused of murdering Marist parent at hotel found guilty
The man accused of killing the parent of a Marist College student during a shooting rampage at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in the town of Poughkeepsie last October was found guilty of second-degree murder, a felony, on Friday.
Dutchess County Chief Assistant District Attorney Matthew Weishaupt said a jury found Roy Johnson, 35, guilty after deliberating for about a day and a half.
Johnson was accused of shooting Paul Kutz, 53, in the chest. Kutz, the parent of a Marist student, was at the Marriott in connection with the final day of the college's parents weekend.
Johnson also was found guilty of three counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count each of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree reckless endangerment, all felonies.
According to police accounts and court documents, Johnson entered the lobby of the hotel just before 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 2, 2022, armed with a loaded 9-millimeter Glock semi-automatic pistol outfitted with a fixed pin that rendered it fully automatic.
He was dressed in an Army green-colored jacket, green boxer-type shorts and a black balaclava ski mask over his head and face.
Johnson was allegedly cursing and yelling while pacing near the barista bar in the lobby. He then approached the front desk and tried to go behind it, but the clerk put his arm out to stop him.
Johnson then moved toward the table seating area and began firing the pistol, striking Kutz in the right side of the chest. It was unclear why Kutz was shot. Authorities said at the time he and Johnson did not know each other. Kutz was dead within minutes.
Johnson allegedly continued firing multiple rounds inside the lobby, then went outside, where he fired about 22 rounds in the parking lot and entrance way of the hotel on Route 9.
According to an indictment, Johnson took off the jacket and balaclava and left them and an electronic detector device in the parking lot. He removed the magazine from the Glock and placed both on an SUV in the parking lot. He then went back inside the hotel, where he was taken into custody by police.
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A co-defendant who was with Johnson that day, Devin Taylor, 26, also was arrested. He was not charged with murder but was charged with second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon for allegedly possessing several weapons in a room at the Courtyard.
Johnson faces 40 years in state prison when he is sentenced June 26. He is being held without bail in Dutchess County Jail pending the sentencing.
Johnson's attorney, Joseph Gulina, said he plans to appeal the verdict.
Johnson already was facing a separate murder charge at the time of the Courtyard shooting. Weishaupt said Johnson still faces a trial for murder and robbery charges in connection with the Aug. 9, 2022 shooting death of Darren J. Villani, in the city of Poughkeepsie.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Roy Johnson found guilty of murdering Marist parent Paul Kutz
