POUGHKEEPSIE – Cheryl Chianese, the woman who was, and continues to be victimized by Paul Senecal, who brutally murdered her daughter Melanie, is suing Dutchess County. The lawsuit, filed on July 31, claims that the Dutchess County Department of Probation failed to protect the women from Senecal despite him being under stringent court-ordered restrictions, including electronic monitoring.
In the two years leading up to the murder, Senecal had repeatedly disobeyed orders of protection that were put in place for the safety of Cheryl, her daughter Melanie, and Melanie’s young autistic child, said attorney Martin Rutberg.
We’re talking about murder but it’s a murder that truly never should have happened. It should have been impossible for this particular murder to occur and we don’t want the same thing to be repeated with someone else,” he said.
Senecal had been stalking, harassing, abusing, and defaming Cheryl, and through his actions of trespassing, Melanie was victimized as well. He violated the orders multiple times and was arrested on more than one occasion for his actions.
In 2022 Senecal was placed on court-ordered home confinement and GPS electronic monitoring to be observed by the probation department. The probation department assured Cheryl that she, her family, and her property would be kept safe, according to the lawsuit filed by her attorneys at the Rutberg Breslow law firm.
Despite being monitored by the Dutchess County Department of Probation, Paul Senecal traveled to the Chianese residence on May 29, 2022, and brutally murdered Melanie. During the trial, testimony and evidence showed that Senecal was not monitored by probation as prescribed. He is serving a 25-year to life prison sentence.
Rutberg told Mid-Hudson News that he asked for documents and other evidence from the county’s insurance company attorneys months ago in an attempt to avoid litigation. The request was denied. “This can be fixed but all they (insurance attorneys) want to do is litigate,” he said. “They refused to give us anything and that left us no alternative but to file the lawsuit.”
Rutberg said the lawsuit seeks monetary compensation for the victim’s son, who needs special care but also seeks to encourage changes to the probation department as a matter of public safety.
The attorney says that the probation department directly affects public safety and says their negligence resulted in Melanie’s murder. “They made choices that suggest lack of training – lack of oversight, and that can be corrected. We want their performance with electronic monitoring to be improved.”
