POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County Court Judge Edward McLoughlin sentenced Joseph Gonzalez, 47, to prison on Friday, for his role in the 2024 death of Jaquan Fryar . Ten minutes before Fryar was shot and killed by Gonzalez’s friend, Fryar attempted to shoot Gonzalez in an illegal cub, but his gun jammed. Gonzalez, through his defense attorney, Steve Patterson, had entered into a plea agreement with the Dutchess County DA’s office that resulted in murder and manslaughter charges being dropped if Gonzalez pleaded guilty to assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Gonzalez accepted the deal and was promised a sentence of 10 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision.

Gonzalez and Jan Michael Deere had stood trial in May for the murder of Fryar, and the jury was unable t

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