Defendant and an Accomplice Robbed Several People,
and Shot One Victim Twice

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced on Thursday, May 25, 2017, that, Jaylin Smith, age 19, of Poughkeepsie, pled guilty to one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, in connection with the August 31, 2016, robbery of several people and the shooting of one of the victims in the Town of Wallkill. Smith is expected to receive a sentence of eighteen years in prison when he is sentenced on July 14, 2017, before County Court Judge Nicholas DeRosa.
On August 31, 2016, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Smith and an accomplice approached several people on a Town of Wallkill residential street. At gunpoint, the two men ordered their victims to stand against a nearby car, and stole property from them. After the robbery was complete, at least one of the perpetrators shot one of the victims, and that victim suffered two gunshot wounds. Bullets were removed from the victim’s back, near his spine; and from his chest, near his heart. The gunshot victim is currently paralyzed.

District Attorney Hoovler thanked the New York State Police for their efforts in the investigation and prosecution of the case.

“Senseless gun violence hurts our communities,” said District Attorney Hoovler, “especially when it is directed at innocent people in order to take their property. This defendant’s act of robbing his victims at gunpoint was bad enough, but he elevated the crime to an entirely new and dangerous level when he shot one of his victims after the robbery was complete. My office takes gun violence very seriously, and we all should be glad to know that a defendant as dangerous as this one will be off the street for a significant amount of time.”

District Attorney Hoovler commended Assistant District Attorney Christopher Kelly for his prosecution of the case.

A criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.