Kingston man receives maximum sentence in 2020 murder

KINGSTON, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- A Kingston man was sentenced to 25 years to life for murdering a man in 2020, the Ulster County District Attorney's Office announced Friday. Raymond Snyder, 41, was previously found guilty of second-degree murder and burglary charges in October following an eight-day jury trial.

On July 11, 2020, around 5 a.m., Kingston Police officers responded to reports of a shooting inside a home on St. James Street. When they arrived, they found Romero Underwood, 47, dead inside the apartment he shared with his girlfriend.

Police say he was pistol-whipped and shot to death. It also appeared to be motivated by drugs.

Through an investigation with help from the Forensic Identification Unit, and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Snyder was arrested on January 20, 2021. The investigation determined a blood droplet on the wall inside the home matched Snyder’s DNA profile.

Additional evidence determined Snyder’s DNA was at key locations linked to the crime. It also placed him in a getaway car and the apartment where the two guns were found.

According to the DA's office, the trial was initially supposed to begin in April 2022, but the DA decided to not participate in the trial, claiming certain rulings by the Ulster County Court had made it impossible for the prosecution to meet their burden and make a legally sufficient case.

The Ulster County Court dismissed the case. After the Ulster County District Attorney's Office sued the County Court in Supreme Court, they returned the case for further proceedings and trial.

The case was reassigned in December 2023 and the trial began on October 15, 2024. After eight days, Snyder was found guilty of two counts of Burglary in the first degree, class B felonies and Murder in the second degree, a class A-1 felony.

At trial, he was sentenced to be scheduled on January 10 but was delayed until Friday. Friday's sentencing was also delayed for the court to respond to a motion filed by Snyder's lawyer the day before, raising issues that the court had previously decided on.

District Attorney Emmanual Nneji and Senior Assistant District Attorney Luba Reznikova prosecuted the case. Snyder was represented by Bradford White and Elizabeth Gibson of the Dutchess County Public Defender's Office.

"Justice matters! I am grateful that this case and the dark cloud it cast over the judicial system in this County are over. Neither the conviction nor sentence will bring Romero Underwood back to his family and loved ones, but getting justice for them and the community is meaningful and worth everything that went into getting where we are today (Friday)," Nneji said. "Ulster County deserves nothing less and can rest assured that the unique challenges and unpleasant saga in the community about this case in Ulster County Court has ended with the verdict and the sentence imposed today. No one should expect to get away with taking another’s life. I know it wasn’t easy, but I am sincerely grateful to the family of Romero Underwood and the people of this County for keeping the faith through the thick and thin of it.”