A Monticello man was sentenced Nov. 24 to 33 years to life in state prison, following his recent conviction for murder.
Sullivan County District Attorney Brian Conaty said Jonte Wunner, 27, of Monticello, was convicted of second-degree murder, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence, all felonies.
Wunner was found guilty following a five-day trial in which a jury found that on Oct. 4, 2024, Wunner beat and shot Jose Rodriguez, 42, to death at an address on Lakewood Avenue in the Village of Monticello.
The jury further found Wunner wrapped Rodriguez’s corpse in a tarp and transported it to the Woodridge rail trail, where he dumped the body.
Conaty did not say what the motive was for the murder.
Wunner was arrested after a 25-day investigation by state police which followed the discovery of Rodriguez’s body on the rail trail.
Evidence presented at the trial included witness testimony, cellular cell site analysis, video evidence and DNA evidence linking the defendant to the crime scene and the location where the body was found.
Wunner was previously convicted in Albany County Court on July 3 of second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree reckless endangerment, all felonies, in an unrelated matter. He was sentenced to 35 years to life in state prison in that case.
Sullivan County Court Judge James Farrell ruled that the two sentences will run consecutively.
Wunner’s attorney, Matthew Witherow, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Monticello man sentenced for murder, concealing body in October 2024
Reporting by Mike Randall, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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