POUGHKEEPSIE – The attorneys representing the two men involved in the Courtyard by Marriott hotel killing of a man asked the judge to recuse himself from the case due to his ties to Marist College.
Roy Johnson Jr., 35, is charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon for allegedly shooting Paul Kutz, a Long Island resident staying at the hotel with his wife as they prepared to spend time with their son, a freshman at Marist College. The October 2 murder occurred during the Maris College “Family Weekend.”
His alleged accomplice, Devin Taylor, 28, is charged with three felony weapons charges.
McLoughlin, a former prosecutor with the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, also serves as an adjunct professor at Marist College. According to the team from the Dutchess County Public Defender’s Office representing the two defendants, McLoughlin also uses interns from the college in his court.
The defense attorneys filed a motion moments before the October 14 arraignments were scheduled, asking McLoughlin to recuse himself due to his close ties to the college.
McLoughlin denied the motion before accepting the not-guilty pleas entered by both defendants and then remanded both men to the Dutchess County Jail without bail.
