Brothers Convicted By Jury Of Murdering Hudson Valley Man

KINGSTON, NY — A Newburgh man and his brother were found guilty by a jury of murdering an Ulster County man after an 11-day trial.

On Monday, Junando Dawkins, 30, of Newburgh, and his brother Juwaugh Dawkins, 34, of Jacksonville, Florida, were convicted in Ulster County Court of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

The Ulster County District Attorney’s Office said the verdict came after an 11-day jury trial that began April 15.

Prosecutors said the trial consisted of more than 40 witnesses, including law enforcement from the New York State Police, the Jacksonville, Florida, Sheriff’s Office, the New York City Police Department and the Town of Saugerties Police Department.

Expert witnesses linked the cell phone locations of the two brothers to the scene of the crime, and state police divers recovered parts of a Glock semi-automatic pistol from the Hudson River in January 2023 that included DNA from Juwaugh Dawkins.

The jury was charged by the judge Monday morning and deliberations continued for almost three hours.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 17, with the men facing up to 25 years to life in state prison.

Prosecutors said a homicide investigation was begun by state police in January 2023 into the death of Daniel Spotards, a 41-year-old father of two living in the town of Plattekill.

His body was found at the end of his driveway Jan. 2, 2023, by a local sanitation worker who called 911.

The investigation found that Spotards was shot multiple times at close range on Jan. 1, 2023.

Town residents also contributed to the investigation by calling the police after discarded cell phones were discovered a short distance from the murder.

Junando Dawkins was taken into custody at Fort Liberty — formerly Fort Bragg — in North Carolina in March of 2023 as he was about to deploy overseas as a sergeant in the United States Army. Juwaugh Dawkins fought extradition and was eventually brought back to New York from Florida in June.

Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji said the jury’s patience, attention to detail and courage to serve without fear or favor was a great testament to their commitment to the rule of law.

He was also complimentary about the state police who solved the murder, searching for the weapon by hand in the dark, murky bottom of the Hudson River, finding evidence that was meant to be lost forever.

“The shots that killed Daniel Spotards did more than kill him,” Nneji said, “they took him away from his children and family and each of the 12 shots pierced the sense of safety and psychological well-being of the community.”