Jury deliberations underway in third trial tied to 2019 Middletown murder-for-hire case
Prosecutors say Douglas McFarlane was paid $10,000 to help kill a young business owner. The defense says there’s no DNA evidence linking him to the murder.
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Jury deliberations began Wednesday in the Orange County trial of a man accused of taking part in a murder-for-hire plot that killed a young Middletown business owner more than seven years ago.
Douglas McFarlane is accused of fatally shooting 26-year-old Sebastian Avilan-Medina in the face at close range inside his Knapp Avenue home in March 2019. He faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.
McFarlane appeared unhappy about being photographed during Wednesday’s proceedings in Goshen. He initially tried to hide his face behind a piece of paper before appearing to give the middle finger as News 12 took photographs with the court’s permission.
Testimony wrapped earlier this week, with attorneys presenting closing arguments Wednesday before the case was handed to the jury.
Prosecutors allege co-defendant Sheldon Paul orchestrated the killing because he believed Avilan-Medina was responsible for burglarizing his home. Chief Assistant District Attorney Chris Borek told jurors McFarlane was paid $10,000 allegedly stolen from the victim’s home, while another co-defendant, Dijion Constantine, received a large quantity of marijuana taken from the property.
Prosecutors pointed to surveillance footage initially released by Middletown police during their yearslong search for suspects, which they say shows McFarlane and Constantine together. They also cited phone records and testimony from Constantine, who previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Borek argued that the evidence amounted to too many coincidences to dismiss McFarlane’s alleged involvement.
The defense challenged the prosecution’s case, arguing there was no DNA evidence linking McFarlane to the killing and that the largely circumstantial case relied heavily on Constantine’s testimony. Defense attorney Rory Brady also questioned Constantine’s credibility and whether phone records and surveillance footage independently established McFarlane’s involvement.
For Avilan-Medina’s family, the latest trial has meant reliving the painful details of his death once again.
“It is a roller coaster of emotions. It's hard for us. Hard to go through all that happened to our son,” said the victim’s father, Byron Avilan, in an interview with News 12 outside the courthouse.
Avilan says his family has also struggled to shield his young grandson, who was just a year old when his father was killed, from the details of what happened.
“We are keeping him out of this. It’s hard to bring this home and trying to hide it because we don’t want him to know yet what happened to his daddy,” Avilan said.
The case remained unsolved for more than five years before three men were arrested in 2024.
Paul’s first trial ended in a mistrial earlier this year. He was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder following a retrial on October 2. He remains in custody without bail and faces up to 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 21, 2027.
Constantine pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in June 2024 and has not yet been sentenced. His sentencing date remains pending.
Avilan says his family hopes the latest jury reaches a favorable verdict.
“My son will finally get the justice we are fighting for,” he said.
