Brothers sentenced to 25 years to life for murder of Plattekill father
Junando and Juwaugh Dawkins are each facing 25 years to life in prison in connection to the shooting death of Daniel Spotards.
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Two brothers were sentenced Tuesday for murdering a Plattekill father.
Junando and Juwaugh Dawkins were each sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in connection to the shooting death of Daniel Spotards following an 11-day trial in April.
The Ulster County district attorney says Spotards was shot multiple times at close range in his driveway on January 2, 2023. His body was found at the end of his driveway by a local sanitation worker who called 911.
Authorities say Town of Plattekill residents also contributed to the investigation by calling law enforcement upon the discovery of discarded cellphones a short distance from the crime, which led to the apprehension of Junando Dawkins. Dawkins was about to deploy overseas as a U.S. Army sergeant when he was arrested, according to prosecutors.
The trial consisted of over 40 witnesses. Expert witnesses linked the cellphone locations of the defendants to the scene of the crime and state police divers recovered parts of the Glock semi-automatic pistol from the Hudson river that included DNA from Juwaugh Dawkins.
The victim's partner and mother of his 8-year-old child spoke at sentencing, imploring the defendants to think of all the children, including their own that the crime impacted. The victim's mother read a victim's impact statement from Spottards' 16-year-old daughter, which describes the pain of losing her father and many important moments he would miss out on.
