KINGSTON – An Ulster County Court jury took just under three hours to convict two brothers of murder in the shooting death of Daniel Spotards, a 41-year-old father of two, whose body was found at the end of his driveway in the Town of Plattekill on January 2, 2023.
Investigation determined he had been shot 12 times at close range the day before.
Janando Dawkins, 30, of Newburgh, and his brother, Juwaugh Dawkins, 34, of Jacksonville, Florida, each face up to 25 years to life in state prison when sentenced before visiting Sullivan County Judge Stephan Schick.
Spotard’s body was discovered by a local sanitation worker who called 911. Plattekill residents were also credited with contributing to the investigation by calling police when they discovered discarded cell phones a short distance away.
Juando Dawkins was apprehended at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) in North Carolina in March 2023 as he was about to deploy overseas as a sergeant in the Army. Juwaugh Dawkins fought extradition and was eventually extradited from Florida in June 2023.
“Today, and Ulster County jury of 11 women and one man returned a verdict of guilty in a premeditated murder case,” said District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji. “Their patience, attention to detail, and courage without fear or favor is a gr eat testament to their commitment to the rule of law.”
The DA credited the State Police with cracking the case. “They searched for a needle in a haystack and found it; they searched by hand the dark and murky bottom of the Hudson River and found evidence that was meant to be lost forever.” They recovered parts to a Glock semi-automatic pistol.
Both brothers were convicted following an 11-day trial of murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
