Saugerties man sentenced to 29 years in 2022 homicide case

KINGSTON, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- An Ulster County man was sentenced in court on Tuesday after he was found guilty of killing a man in October 2022 after a Halloween party. Joseph Karolys, 39, was sentenced to up to 29 years in prison.

On Saturday, October 29, 2022, around 8 a.m., Saugerties police responded to a 911 call reporting an unconscious, unresponsive person was lying on the side of Route 32 in Saugerties. Officers reported the victim, David (Mickey) Myers was pronounced dead at the scene.

After the incident, another person brought himself into Saugerties police, covering for Karolys. Upon an investigation into the matter, police arrested Karolys in February 2023 and charged him with manslaughter in the first degree, assault in the first degree, tampering with physical evidence and attempted bribing of a witness.

According to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, at trial it was established Karolys attacked Myers, kicking him in the head with steel-toe boots, on their way back from a Greene County bar. The DA states after the attack Myers was removed from the car and Karolys took steps to conceal the crime, including burning the boots and removing the floor mats of the truck.

Sentencing:

• 25 years for manslaughter in the first degree and assault in the first degree
• 1-4 years for tampering with physical evidence

"This sentence reflects Joseph Karolys’ selfishness and lack of decency towards others – such disregard as in his polluting the water supply sources for many families, and stripping Mickey of his life and human dignity by leaving him on the side of the road to die," District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji said. "The impact of this crime in Saugerties is far-reaching; I am hopeful that Mickey’s family and friends in Saugerties will cherish and make a legacy of their memories of him."

At sentencing members of Myers’ family submitted victim impact statements. Ulster County Crime Victims Assistance Program Director Jessica Jones delivered a victim impact statement on behalf of Mickey’s brother, Danny Myer, describing how the pain of the loss will never go away.

In addition to his prison sentence, Karolys was sentenced to five years of post-release supervision. The interim Chief of the Saugerties Police Department K.J. Swart said he hopes the verdict and sentence provides some closure for Myer’s family.