Middletown man pleads guilty to murder in stabbing death of Wallkill man

Mike Randall, Times Herald-Record
·2 min read

GOSHEN - A Middletown man pleaded guilty to murder Thursday in connection with the October stabbing death of a town of Wallkill man, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced.

According to Hoovler, Damante T. Stansberry, 24, of Middletown pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, a felony.

Stansberry was accused of the stabbing death of Jeffrey Harris, 53, of Wallkill.

Prosecutors allege that at about 5 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2022, Stansberry arrived at the home of Harris, who had been repairing a fence in his backyard, and repeatedly stabbed him.

Harris' body was later found stabbed multiple times in the detached garage at his home.

Neither police nor prosecutors have said what the relationship between Stansberry and Harris was, nor have they commented on a motive for the murder.

After the stabbing, Stansberry then concealed a mask, rubber gloves, a hooded jacket and a shoe he had been wearing by stuffing them into a storm drain, prosecutors said.

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Stansberry was arrested on Nov. 1, 2022, following an investigation by town of Wallkill police, who were assisted by state police, the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center and Hoolvler's office.

Stansberry's next scheduled court appearance is June 12.

"There is no place where people should feel safer than in their own homes," Hoovler said in a statement released by his office. "My deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the victim in this case, who was senselessly killed while working in his own backyard on a Sunday afternoon."

Stansberry's attorney, Randy Ira Siper, could not immediately be reached for comment.

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 Times Herald-Record: Guilty plea entered for the stabbing death of a Wallkill man