Details Emerge After Another Ulster County Man Accused of Murder
A Hudson Valley man is facing a murder charge for the death of a 33-year-old woman. The tragic event happened not far from a murder suicide that took place just over a week ago, which police believe was also the result of domestic violence.
The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office says deputies and New York State Police were called to a home on State Route 213 in the Town of Esopus late Tuesday night for a report of an unconscious woman suffering from a gunshot wound.
Police arrived at the residence at approximately 11:29 pm on September 1 and found 33-year-old Brianna S. Wittl of Ulster Park.
Emergency crews provided medical treatment before Wittl was transported to Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston. According to the Sheriff’s Office, she later died from her injuries.
Police Say Argument Turned Deadly in Esopus
Investigators say their preliminary investigation determined that Wittl had been involved in a verbal dispute with 47-year-old William F. Dearden of Ulster Park.
According to police, the argument eventually became physical. Investigators allege that during the altercation, Dearden shot Wittl with a handgun.
Dearden was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies. He was arraigned in Ulster County Centralized Arraignment Part Court and ordered held at the Ulster County Jail without bail.
Authorities have not released any additional information about what may have led to the dispute or the relationship between Dearden and Wittl.
Incident Happened Not Far From Recent Tragic Murder Suicide
The deadly shooting in Esopus comes just over a week after another homicide stunned residents in Ulster County.
On August 21, 54-year-old Melinda "Mindy" Brugger and her husband, 66-year-old James "Jimmy" Brugger, were found dead inside their Highland home. The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office later determined that James Brugger shot his wife multiple times before taking his own life. Investigators said the murder-suicide appeared to stem from unresolved domestic issues. Court records showed that Mindy Brugger had filed for divorce approximately one month before her death.
The two incidents, occurring less than two weeks apart, have now left two Hudson Valley women dead from gun violence in separate domestic disputes under investigation by the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office.
