Hudson Valley murder victim rescued killer the day before the murder

In a shocking revelation, we learned that a murder victim in the Hudson Valley saved the life of her killer the day before he was murdered.

A Montgomery, New York man was sentenced to prison on Tuesday for murder and arson following the death of a 46-year-old man who was trapped in the house and died of smoke inhalation .

Maximum sentence in Orange County, New York arson case

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler confirmed Ryan Veloce, 32, of Montgomery, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, the maximum sentence he faced after being convicted following a jury trial in the Orange County felony court. including second degree murder and first degree arson.

“The heinous and cowardly actions of this defendant, which cost the life of a man, were rightly sanctioned by the maximum penalty permitted by law,” Hoovler said. “The accused set the murderous fire in this case under cover of night, with no eyewitnesses present. But for the dedicated and skilled investigation by law enforcement, coupled with the hard and consistent work of prosecutors who have case, this defendant would not have been held accountable for his crimes. However, this case is an example of the value of teamwork between talented law enforcement professionals to ensure that justice has done, and I’m happy to say that here, justice has been done.

Fatal fire in the town of Montgomery, New York

The 25-year to life sentence is linked to a fire that destroyed a single-family home on Barron Road in the city of Montgomery on the morning of June 10, 2021.

Kevin Horan, 45, of Montgomery, who lived in the house, was rescued by firefighters after being trapped in the burning house.

He died later that morning at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital from smoke inhalation.

“I am happy to see this case come to a conclusion that will give some closure to the Horan family. I want to acknowledge the hard work of the investigators from the City of Montgomery Police, the New York State Police, the New York State Bureau of Fire Prevention and Control, the District Attorney’s Office of Orange County and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The cooperation between all of these agencies has led to a successful prosecution of this very difficult case,” said City of Montgomery Police Chief John Hank.

A murder victim saved the killer the day before the murder

During the court appearance, the unnamed judge confirmed that Horan had saved Veloce’s life the night before. Horan gave Veloce Narcan when Veloce overdosed, officials say.

“During the court appearance, the sentencing judge told Veloce that one of the biggest ironies of the case was that the victim had saved Veloce’s life the night before, by administering Narcan to reverse the effects of a drug overdose. The judge further noted that if not for the heroic actions of the victim alerting other occupants of the home to the fire, more people would have died,” Hoovler’s office said. in a press release.

Stolen cocaine suspected cause of fatal fire

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Veloce, who had been invited to the house for the night, intentionally set the fire using kerosene because he believed that Horan, who was sleeping at the time of the fire, had stolen Veloce’s cocaine the day before the fire, prosecutors argued during the trial.

Veloce initially denied staying in the house. He was found walking near the burning house.

“A trained arson detection canine team from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office assisted arson investigators in determining the point of origin of the fire. Subsequent laboratory tests conducted at the lab of the New York State Police in Albany confirmed that a liquid accelerant, likely kerosene, was used to start the fire, and that the fire was started in the bedroom the defendant (Veloce) had occupied. “, added the office of Hoovler in a press release.

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