2 To Face Grand Jury After LI Father Of Marist Student Gunned Down

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — The two men accused of being involved in the fatal shooting of an East Northport man Sunday at the Courtyard by Marriott will be the subjects of a grand jury in Dutchess County.

Roy A. Johnson Jr., 35, and Devin M. Taylor, 26, were taken into custody in connection with the killing of Paul Kutz, 53, the father of a Marist College student from Long Island. Kutz is a husband and father of three.

The pair will face a grand jury Wednesday, according to News 12.

Police said the shooting took place during the school’s family weekend celebration.

Johnson was charged with one count of murder and one count of criminal possession of a weapon and was sent without bail to the Dutchess County Jail.

Johnson was a fugitive wanted on gun and drug charges, NBC New York reported. He was also a key suspect in an August murder case, according to the outlet. The sheriff's office in Fulton County, Georgia, labeled Johnson a fugitive after he was accused of skipping court following his arrest on felony gun and cocaine dealing charges, NBC New York reported. A national warrant for his arrest was uploaded to a database in July.

Taylor was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and is being held at the Dutchess County Jail on $500,000 bail or $1 million bond.

Poughkeepsie town police said they received a call Sunday morning about a disturbance at the Courtyard by Marriott on Route 9, which is also known as South Road. There were reports of shots fired and guests of the motel fleeing the property.

Kutz was found wounded and was taken to MidHudson Regional Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

During a search of the hotel, police found manuals related to making explosive devices, along with materials that could have been used as explosives. Officials said there were no working explosive devices.

Town of Poughkeepsie police said the two men were homeless and did not have fixed addresses, the Poughkeepsie Journal reported.

It isn’t known how long they had been staying at the motel.

A statement from the Dutchess County Department of Community & Family Services said neither of the men were clients of the county.

“The two suspects, named by the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department in connection with the Oct. 2 shooting tragedy at the Courtyard by Marriott in Poughkeepsie, were neither known as Department of Community and Family Services clients nor placed in that hotel by Dutchess County,” said Commissioner Sabrina Jaar Marzouka.

The department said it does not work with the Courtyard by Marriott for any housing services.