POUGHKEEPSIE – Twenty-six-year-old Devin Taylor, one of two men involved in the October 2022 murder of a man at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel on South Avenue in the Town of Poughkeepsie entered guilty pleas in both that case and for the August 9, 2022 murder of Darren Villani on Mansion Street.
Appearing before Dutchess County Court Judge Edward McLoughlin, Taylor, who was arrested for the murder of Villani earlier this year, entered a guilty plea in exchange for a sentence of 22 years to life in prison. Taylor admitted to shooting Villani in the torso with a .45 caliber Glock while Taylor and associates were trying to rob the victim.
Accompanied by his attorney, Mara Timourian, Taylor also entered a guilty plea to a felony weapons possession charge for his role in the “Courtyard” case. As police officers were pursuing Taylor at the hotel after Paul Kutz was shot and killed, Taylor had a Walther 22P semi-automatic pistol in his possession. During the pursuit, Taylor threw the weapon to the ground before being taken into custody. After Taylor was detained, officers went back and recovered the weapon. Taylor had been accused of having a cache of weapons in the hotel room he shared with his accomplice, Roy Johnson Jr., who is believed to be the subject that killed Kutz inside the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
For the weapon charge, Taylor will be sentenced to seven years in prison with five years of post-release supervision as part of an agreement with the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office. Taylor also has a previous felony burglary conviction.
Judge McLoughlin ordered Taylor returned to the Dutchess County Jail to await sentencing that will take place on April 19, 2023. McLoughlin sternly warned Taylor to behave at the jail. “I will enhance your sentence if there is any misbehavior at the jail,” the judge said before Taylor was removed from the courtroom.
