A man wanted in Fulton County after he failed to show up for a court date was arrested on a murder charge this month in New York state after an “unprovoked” shooting that left a bystander dead, authorities said.
Roy A. Johnson Jr., 35, was arrested Oct. 2 after a shooting that morning at a Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Poughkeepsie, New York, local police said. Johnson is accused of firing a barrage of gunshots at the building, hitting and killing 53-year-old Paul Kutz, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported.
Kutz, who was in town visiting his son for Marist College’s parents’ weekend, and Johnson did not know each other prior to the shooting, the Journal reported.
“At this point of the investigation, the shooting appears to have been unprovoked,” Town of Poughkeepsie police said.
Johnson was arrested in Fulton in April 2020 on multiple drug-related felony charges, online court records show. He was released a few days after being booked into the Fulton jail, and more than two years later he was scheduled to appear at a plea and arraignment hearing in July. When he failed to show up, a bench warrant was issued for Johnson’s arrest.
The month after that warrant was issued, Johnson was linked to another fatal shooting in Poughkeepsie, according to the Journal. Police told the newspaper they had been searching for Johnson since then but had not made contact with him.
In the latest incident, officers were called to the Courtyard about 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 2, police said. Johnson and a second man, 26-year-old Devin Taylor, were identified as suspects and arrested. Kutz was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
After arresting Johnson and Taylor, officers searched the hotel and found material related to making explosive devices in a room linked to the suspects, police said. Investigators found manuals about how to make explosive devices and components with the potential to be made into explosives, but no actual bombs or explosive devices. The New York State Police bomb squad secured the room and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was notified, police said.
Johnson and Taylor were both booked into the Dutchess County Jail, where they remain, according to online records. Johnson is being held without bail, while Taylor is being held on a $500,000 cash bail, $1 million bond or $5 million partially secured bond, police said.
About the Author
