Sheldon Paul Convicted of Two Counts of Murder in the Second Degree for 2019 Slaying of Middletown Man
Defendant Faces up to 25 Years to Life in Prison
Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Friday, October 2, 2026, Sheldon, age 42, of Middletown was convicted after a jury trial before the Honorable Hyun Chin Kim in the Orange County Court of two counts of Murder in the Second Degree for the 2019 killing of a man in his City of Middletown residence. Paul faces up to twenty-five (25) years to life in prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced on January 21, 2027. Paul was remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail following the jury’s verdict.
As alleged at trial, on the morning of March 11, 2019, two men, aged 18 and 19, entered the apartment of the victim on Knapp Street in the City of Middletown. The sole occupant of the apartment was found dead as the result of a gunshot wound to his head. During the trial, prosecutors argued that the defendant had sent the two men to the apartment in apparent retaliation for Paul’s belief that the victim had orchestrated a burglary of Paul’s residence on March 6, 2019. Evidence at the trial showed that Paul later realized that he had been wrong, and that the victim was not involved in the burglary of his residence.
District Attorney Hoovler thanked the City of Middletown Police Department for their investigation which resulted in the defendant’s arrest.
District Attorney Hoovler highly commended Senior Assistant District Attorney Janine Kovacs and Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher Borek for handling the prosecution of Paul.
“This defendant attempted to get away with murder by sending two teenagers to the victim’s home, the very place where a person should feel the most secure,” said District Attorney Hoovler. “I commend the unrelenting work of the City of Middletown Police Department in pursuing this investigation and working with my office to see that justice was done. I hope this verdict brings some measure of closure to the family and loved ones of the victim. We will be seeking the maximum permissible sentence when this defendant is sentenced.”
A criminal charge is merely an allegation by the police 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.
