Mastermind of Gruesome Hudson Valley Robbery Sentenced

William McKinney, 23, of Fort Washington, Maryland, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for his involvement in a Hyde Park bank robbery.

According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, On Oct. 8, 2014, McKinney, along with Victor Denny of Forestville, Maryland, kidnapped a 23-year-old Hyde Park man and stole his car. They were then joined by a third man, 26-year-old William Burton, from Suitland, Maryland.  The kidnapped man was beaten, choked, tied up, and stuffed into his car.

The three man proceeded to drive the stolen car to the Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union on Route 9 in Hyde Park. Inside the bank, McKinney and Denny pulled out handguns, demanded money, and pistol whipped some bank employees. Officials say the pair were dressed as women during the heist.

After the robbery, the men poured bleach on the kidnapped Hyde Park man’s face, in an apparent attempt to blind him.

Bianca King, an employee of the bank admitted she helped stage the robbery. She has pled guilty to first-degree robbery.

In July, McKinney and Denny pled guilty to first-degree robbery and second-degree kidnapping. Denny agreed to a plea deal of 19 years in prison. He’s scheduled to be sentenced next week.

McKinney, who has ties to the Hudson Valley, received a longer sentence because it was ruled that he was the mastermind of the kidnapping and robbery. He was also ordered to pay $200,881.81 in restitution