In the early morning hours of August 9, 2022, Darren Villani, a 28-year-old male, was found lying on Mansion Street in Poughkeepsie, New York, next to his vehicle. He had sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest. First responders transported him to MidHudson Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Villani, a resident of Beacon, New York, was a father and a performing artist with a deep passion for music.
The investigation into Villani's death led police to two suspects,
Devin Taylor and Roy Johnson. The case gained further complexity as Taylor and Johnson were also implicated in another high-profile fatal shooting that occurred in October 2022 at a Courtyard by Marriott in Poughkeepsie. During the investigation into the second homicide, evidence emerged linking the pair to Villani's death two months prior. Prosecutors stated that on the morning of August 9, Taylor approached Villani and fired a shot into his torso, causing him to collapse.
In March 2023, Devin Taylor pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his role in Darren Villani's death. He also pleaded guilty to a weapons charge related to the Marriott hotel shooting. In April 2023, Taylor was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison for the murder of Villani. His accomplice, Roy Johnson, faced a jury trial. In September 2023, Johnson was convicted of second-degree murder, three counts of first-degree robbery, and one count of second-degree robbery in connection with Villani's death. In December 2023, Johnson received a sentence of 25 years to life for the murder, to be served concurrently with sentences for the robbery charges. This was in addition to a lengthy sentence he had already received for the separate Marriott hotel murder.
