Pine Plains man charged with murder
Dutchess County resident suspected of killing a man and wounding his wife during a shooting in Greene County
The Register-Star
June 18, 2009

PALENVILLE — A man suspected of shooting a Palenville couple — resulting in one death — just before 2 a.m. Wednesday is in Greene County Jail.

The alleged shooter, 23-year-old Robert N. Wilkinson of Pine Plains, Dutchess County, opened fire with a .223-caliber rifle on the victims, Lucian Haid, 28, and his wife, Taryn, 23, in the driveway of their home at 95 Pennsylvania Ave., following a dispute among the trio earlier in the morning, according to State Police in Kingston.

Lucian Haid was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Richard Viglio.

An autopsy will be conducted Thursday by Dr. Michael Sickarica at Albany Medical Center.

In spite of her injuries, Taryn Haid was able to call Greene County 911 with a description of Wilkinson’s vehicle, a 2008 Nissan. She was transported by ambulance to Albany Medical Center and was treated for her injuries, police said.

Staff at Albany Medical Center Wednesday afternoon had no information on her condition.

Wilkinson was taken into custody fewer than two hours after the shooting by the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department after leading a sheriff’s deputy on a pursuit through the county. Wilkinson has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree criminal use of a weapon, first-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

He entered a plea of not guilty at his arraignment in Catskill Town Court Wednesday afternoon in front of Judge Robert Carl.

Wilkinson conferred with the public defender assigned to the case, Dominic J. Cornelius, and stoically looked forward as he was led out of the courtroom by state police. He was transferred to the Greene County Jail.

District Attorney Terry Wilhelm said his office will be prosecuting the case. Wilkinson is expected back in court June 25, he said.

Neighbors in Palenville said the couple appeared to keep to themselves, as few knew who lived in the house 500 feet from the Saugerties town line.

Crane Davis, who lives across the street from the couple, said they were quiet and seemed nice. He said his wife had only met Taryn Haid once, when a package was mistakenly delivered to their home.

Davis said he did not hear any altercation before the shooting and that he thought the first shot could have come from a hunter somewhere.

But, he said, the successive shots hinted otherwise.

“The other four sounded like someone was out to get someone,” he said.

Davis said after the gunfire ended, he heard a woman screaming and he called 911. Emergency crews responded within 10 minutes, he said.

Davis said the couple had only moved to the neighborhood, which is mainly filled with weekend residents, six months ago.

He said it was not uncommon for at least one car to pull into the driveway on any given night but that there did not appear to be many people entering and exiting the house.

“It wasn’t like a constant stream of people,” he said.

According to the State Police at Kingston, Wilkinson was apprehended Wednesday morning after Ulster County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Gillespie spotted his vehicle with a defective light. Gillespie called in the license plate number and was told by dispatch that the vehicle belonged to the Palenville shooter.

The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle on Route 32 in the town of Ulster. When the driver did not comply, Gillespie initiated a pursuit.

Gillespie chased Wilkinson through the city of Kingston on Route 9W and into Esopus, where Wilkinson lost control of the vehicle and struck a rock wall along Black Creek Road.

Police from departments in the town of Lloyd, Kingston, Ulster and Saugerties converged upon the crash scene, police said.

Officers from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, the Greene County District Attorney’s Office and the village of Catskill were involved as well.

Catskill police set up a roadblock at about 1:45 a.m. at the intersection of Route 23A and Route 9W in Catskill, according to Catskill Police Chief David Darling.

He said the State Police were on the scene right away.

“They were on it from the get-go,” he said, “and that is a good thing.”