Giordano
GOSHEN – The man, who along with his girlfriend murdered an 81-year-old woman in her Goshen home on August 2, 2014 and then set the house on fire, was sentenced Thursday to 20 years to life in state prison.
Devin Giordano, 22, of Goshen, previously pled guilty to murder, burglary, tampering with physical evidence and arson, for having been involved in the botched burglary which ended with the killing of Helen Mills, said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler.
“Helen Mills deserved so much better than what happened to her in this case, but this is a case of felony murder,” Hoovler said.
Giordano admitted that he and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Molyneaux, 18, of Wallkill, had gone to the woman’s home with the intent to steal money and when Mills resisted, Molyneaux struck, strangled and suffocated her with a pillow. Giordano then doused the home with gasoline and torched it with intent of covering up the crime.
Molyneaux, who also admitted to the crimes is scheduled to be sentenced in May and could face a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison. She stated that she had taken drugs before committing the crime.
The sentencing of Giordano “ends only one portion of this tragic event which the victim’s family, and the entire community, will continue to struggle through,” said Hoovler. “It is utterly reprehensible that anyone would kill a defenseless, elderly, woman in her own bedroom just to get money. There is a nexus between illicit narcotics and crime. We must hold accountable those who violently victimize defenseless citizens to get money to feed their drug habits.”
Hoovler said that even though Mills “knew nothing about heroin, the opioid epidemic took her life also.”
