McBee
GOSHEN – Dennis McBee, 30, of Port Jervis, the man convicted of
brutally murdering local shopkeeper Josef Kucher, who was 77, on November
7, 2014 when he was attacked, was sentenced in Orange County Court on
Wednesday to 25 years to life in prison.
McBee went into the victim’s shoe repair shop on Front Street in
Port Jervis where he beat, stomped on, and robbed him. Kucher later died
from the injuries.
In addition to beating Kucher and stealing money from the cash register,
McBee tried to conceal evidence of his crimes by ditching his bloody pants
and boots.
McBee fled to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania after the murder and was ultimately
apprehended and extradited to New York.
From a prosecutorial point of view, District Attorney David Hoovler is
satisfied with the sentence, but he noted one cannot escape the tragedy
of the case with the death of Kucher.
“Everything he did in his life was for his family, his community
and America, and it was all taken from him before he had a chance to retire
and really enjoy it. It is a sad case from beginning to end,” Hoovler
said.
Kucher was a Port Jervis shoemaker for 40 years, was an Austrian immigrant,
military veteran, and a prominent member of the Port Jervis community.
