Two brothers convicted of New Year's Day 2023 murder of father of two in Ulster County
KINGSTON - An Ulster County Court jury on Monday found two brothers guilty of murder in the shooting death of a father of two in Plattekill on New Year's Day 2023.
The Ulster County District Attorney's office said the jury of 11 women and one man found Junando Dawkins, 30, of Newburgh, and Juwaugh Dawkins, 34, of Jacksonville, Fla. guilty of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies, after they deliberated for just under three hours on Monday.
The jury was given the case Monday following an 11-day trial before visiting State Supreme Court Justice Stephan Schick of Sullivan County that began April 15.
More than 40 witnesses testified, primarily law enforcement officers, including state police and members of the Jacksonville, Fla. Sheriff's office, the NYPD and the Town of Saugerties Police Department.
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The Dawkins brothers were convicted of the Jan. 1, 2023, shooting death of Daniel Spotards, a 41-year-old father of two whose body was found by a sanitation worker at the end of his driveway in the town of Plattekill the following day. The sanitation worker called 911.
The ensuing investigation led by state police determined that Spotards had been shot a dozen times at close range on New Year's Day. The district attorney's office did not say what the motive for the murder was.
Expert witnesses linked the cell phone locations of the defendants to the scene of the crime, and state police divers recovered parts of a Glock semi-automatic pistol from the Hudson River in January 2023 that included DNA from Juwaugh Dawkins.
Junando Dawkins, a sergeant in the Army, was apprehended in March 2023 at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, formerly Fort Bragg, as he was about to deploy overseas.
Juwaugh Dawkins fought extradition but eventually was extradited from Florida in June 2023.
"The shots that killed Daniel Spotards did more than kill him," Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji said in a statement released by his office. "They took him away from his children and family, and each of the 12 shots pierced the sense of safety and psychological well-being of the community."
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State Police Captain Joseph Kolek added, "Hopefully these convictions will bring some solace to the grieving loved ones of Mr. Spotards."
Junando Dawkins' attorney, Thomas K. Petro, and Juwaugh Dawkins' attorney, Merrick Dammar, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Dawkins brothers face up to 25 years to life in state prison when they are sentenced on July 17.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Guilty verdict in New Year's Day 2023 shooting in Plattekill
