Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Friday, April 14, 2023, Lamont Williams, age 29, of Newburgh, pled guilty in Orange County Court to Manslaughter in the First Degree and Assault in the Second Degree. Under the plea agreement announced on the record at the time that Williams pled guilty, it is anticipated that he will be sentenced to 25 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision when he is sentenced on July 10, 2023.
As alleged in documents filed and statements made in court, in the early evening of September 29, 2022, Williams possessed a loaded pistol that he used to fire at two people. One of the victims, a 29-year-old Newburgh resident, was struck with wounds that proved to be fatal. The other victim, a five-year-old boy, was also struck and sustained physical injury. After the shooting, Williams fled the location and the jurisdiction. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, together with the United States Marshal Service and North Carolina law enforcement tracked Williams to a location in North Carolina where he was taken into custody. Williams was then extradited back to New York to be arraigned on the sealed indictment. At the plea proceedings, Williams admitted to killing the man and injuring the boy.
Hoovler thanked the City of Newburgh Police Department for their investigation which led to the arrest of Williams. District Attorney Hoovler also thanked the many federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in New York and North Carolina who assisted in the manhunt for Williams.
“This case highlights the tragic consequences of senseless gun violence committed by a depraved offender,” said. Hoovler. “I want to especially commend the City of Newburgh Police Department and their hard-working Detective Division for their tireless efforts in this case, which assured that a violent criminal was brought to justice. I extend my condolences to the families of the victims in this case. My office will deploy all necessary resources in order to hold violent offenders accountable for their actions.”
“This outcome would not have been possible without the City of Newburgh Police Detective Division’s dogged pursuit of Mr. Williams, generating leads that tracked him down the East Coast to a North Carolina closet, and finally returning him to justice,” said City of Newburgh Police Commissioner José A. Gomérez. “We are grateful for the many hours of work the District Attorney’s Office expended to secure justice for Mr. Williams’ victims.”
The case is being prosecuted by Chief Trial Assistant District Attorney Richard Moran and Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Mangold.