Hudson Valley Man Guilty of Killing Wife’s Boyfriend In Front Of Children

A Hudson Valley man was found guilty of the cold blood killing of his wife’s new boyfriend in front of a child.

On Monday in Sullivan County Court, a jury trial found 24-year-old Carlos Serrano, aka Carlos Serrano Valentine, aka Jay Menor Serrano, of Monticello guilty of murder, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment.

According to court documents, on June 28, 2016, Serrano approached the porch at 62 Park Avenue in Monticello and opened fire on 28-year-old Juan Medina. Medina was Serrano’s estranged wife’s new live-in boyfriend.

According to the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, three witnesses, Serrano’s estranged wife and two neighbors identified Serrano as the murder immediately after the murder and during the trial.

One of the witnesses’ 8-year-old daughter was on the porch during the shooting. The mother testified that in his final act before dying, Medina grabbed her daughter and got her out of the line of gunfire, likely saving her daughter’s life.

Serrano was arrested about three hours after the homicide at Sleepy Hollow by Monticello Police.

At the time of his arrest, police found a cellphone in Serrano’s car. After a forensic search of Serrano's phone, the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center found two relevant text messages that further connected Serrano to the homicide.

A text on June 19, 2016 from Serrano to his estranged wife read:

"I got you . .. I tell you I dnt want no man around my son"

Another text sent just hours before the murder said:

"You bring some [man] next to my son is over when I see you !!!"

Sullivan County District Attorney Jim Farrell claims that Serrano went to his wife’s apartment the night before to “mark his prey” and to confirm that his wife was living with another man in the apartment.

"Serrano set out to kill Juan Medina, in cold blood, whose only offense was to become involved in a relationship with this defendant's estranged wife and to have moved into an apartment with the defendant's son,” Farrell stated. “Serrano committed this act in broad daylight, without care of who saw him, and without care for who he could have killed. There were four people on the porch when he opened fire on Medina and anyone of the other three individuals, including the 8-year-old child could have been killed.”

Serrano will be sentenced on May 19.