Speights
Brown
GOSHEN – Jauntae Brown, the Spring Valley man who pled guilty to
manslaughter in the stabbing death of Justin Speights of the Town of Wallkill,
was sentenced in Orange County Court on Monday to five to 15 years in
state prison. That is the maximum allowable by law for manslaughter.
Speights was trying to break up one of several fights going on during
a New Year’s party at a Town of Crawford home in the early morning
hours of January 1, 2016.
District Attorney David Hoovler noted the sentence is the maximum allowable
by law for manslaughter.
“Given the evidence we had, the strength of the case, and the facts
and circumstances that it was an underage drinking party, it was chaotic,
there were multiple fights, I think the sentence that was negotiated by
us and handed out today by Judge (Craig Stephen) Brown of a minimum of
five and a maximum of 15 was sufficient in this case,” Hoovler said.
Speights was a member of the Silver Lake Fire Department and his compatriots
are credited with finding the murder weapon, a knife, which was discarded
by Brown on the side of a road miles from the murder scene.
Two others were charged with impeding the case. The DA said one case
remains pending and he had no comment on the other. The county has a social
host law which prohibits the serving of alcoholic beverages to underage
people at house parties, but the law had not taken effect at the time
of this party.
