Guilty Verdict in 2010 Newburgh Robbery Case

A retrial found an Orange County man guilty of a 2010 knife-point robbery.

On Friday in Orange County Court, a jury convicted 39-year-old Kenyatta James, aka Nate Bender, from Newburgh of robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.

James was previously found guilty of the same charges in 2011. That conviction was overturned by an appellate court in May 2015, due to an improper identification procedure. The appellate court ordered that James be re-tried.

At the retrial, prosecutors argued that on July 30, 2010, James robbed a woman at knife-point in the City of Newburgh. When James was arrested, he was found to be in possession of a blade wrapped in tape, officials say.

“The evidence in this case clearly supports the jury’s determination that this defendant robbed a woman with a home-made knife,” District Attorney David M. Hoovler stated. “I am pleased that we have the opportunity to see that this defendant remains in prison, and, at least for a few more years, will not be free to victimize others in Newburgh.”

James was previously sentenced to 17 years in state prison, and the District Attorney’s Office will be recommending at least that much time in prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 15.