Middletown man indicted for murder in stabbing deaths of two men

Mike Randall, Middletown Times Herald- Record
·2 min read
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GOSHEN - A Middletown man was arraigned in Orange County Court Wednesday on an indictment charging him with murder in the stabbing deaths of two men earlier this month.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said the indictment charged Kenol Baptiste, 30, of Middletown with two counts each of first-degree murder and second-degree murder, which are felonies.

After the arraignment, Baptiste was sent without bail to the Orange County jail, pending further court action. He is scheduled to return to court for a conference on May 31.

Documents filed and statements made in court allege that Baptiste got into a physical confrontation with two men at a residence in the city of Middletown on April 1. All three men lived in the same residence on Ruth Court, according to Middletown city police.

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During the confrontation, Baptiste allegedly used a knife to stab both of the other men.

One of the men walked out of the residence before collapsing on the sidewalk. Baptiste then left the residence and again attacked the man who collapsed outside, continuing to stab him, according to documents filed and statements made in court.

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Baptiste then hid the knife and fled the scene.

Middletown police responded to the scene and located Baptiste in a wooded area nearby.

The victim inside the residence was already dead when police arrived. The man on the sidewalk outside was still alive. He was taken by Empress EMS to Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown, where he died from his injuries.

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"The unspeakable violence allegedly perpetrated by this defendant is unsettling," Hoovler said in a statement released by his office. "While this indictment cannot bring back the victims to their friends and family, my office will nonetheless pursue justice on their behalf."

Baptiste is being represented by the Legal Aid Society of Orange County. A representative of that office had not responded to a request for comment as Thursday morning.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Middletown man indicted after fatal Ruth Court stabbings