Gionni Sellers Convicted of Murder in the Second Degree
Sellers Faces up to 25 Years to Life in Prison
Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Friday, January 16, 2026, Gionni Sellers, age 26, of Middletown, was convicted after a jury trial before the Honorable Craig Stephen Brown in the Orange County Court of both charges against him, including Murder in the Second Degree and Manslaughter in the First Degree for having murdered a three (3) year old child in his care. Sellers faces up to twenty-five (25) years to life in prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10, 2026. Sellers was remanded back to the Orange County Jail without bail following the jury’s verdict.
As alleged at trial, for a period of time in May and June of 2022, Sellers was responsible for watching the three (3) year old son of his girlfriend. In June, police responded to the residence and found the child unresponsive and not breathing. Despite all of the efforts of the first responders, the child was pronounced deceased upon arriving at the hospital. An investigation revealed that in the days leading up to the child’s death, Sellers inflicted blunt force trauma about the child’s head and torso. The devastating injuries caused grievous harm throughout the child’s body, including severe trauma to the child’s brain, which ultimately caused his death. A review of Sellers’s phone revealed internet searches including “why do younger men want to hurt baby” and “baby breathing heavy after being shook.” The jury unanimously concluded, after less than an hour of deliberations, that the People proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Sellers had recklessly engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death to the child, under circumstances evincing a depraved indifference to human life, and thereby caused the death of the child.
The investigation was conducted by the Town of Wallkill Police Department, assisted by the New York State Police, the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
District Attorney Hoovler thanked all the law enforcement agencies involved for the investigation which led to the arrest and conviction of Sellers.
“The conduct of this defendant, as proven beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury of his peers, showed that this defendant’s depraved and wicked actions caused the senseless death of a vulnerable child,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “I said at the outset of this case, and I now reiterate that my Office, together with our law enforcement partners, demanded justice for the victim in this case to give voice to the voiceless. It is through the dedication and hard work of both police and prosecutors that this defendant has been held to account for his horrendous crimes.”
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Tanja Beemer and Assistant District Attorney Peter Fernandez.
This 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.
