Man Who Fatally Stabbed Grocery Shopper Enters Plea

GOSHEN, NY — A New Windsor man admitted in court that he stabbed someone to death in a supermarket.

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler said Andrew Goodenough, 41, of New Windsor, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of Michael Kohus who was shopping in the New Windsor ShopRite June 11, 2016.

In a written plea agreement Goodenough claimed that Kohus had threatened him in the past, but acknowledged he was not threatening him — or posing any imminent threat — at the time of the stabbing.

Police and prosecutors said they were not able to discover any prior interaction between the two men, and Hoovler's office reiterated its belief there was no prior contact.

Kohus, 35, was picking up groceries on June 11, 2016, when Goodenough came up behind him and stabbed him with a box cutter in the neck. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

The district attorney's office will recommend a sentence of 20 years to life in state prison when Goodenough is sentenced March 28.

Hoovler said his deepest condolences go out to Kohus's family and friends.

He said the man was simply grocery shopping on a Saturday and lost his life in a completely random attack.

"There is no indication that the victim ever had any previous interaction with the defendant, much less had ever threatened him, despite the defendant's assertions," Hoovler said.

"Many individuals, including highly successful professionals, suffer from mental health issues," he said. "This does not make them immune from the law."