Monticello, NY - On November 24, 2025, Sullivan County District Attorney Brian P. Conaty announced that Jonte Wunner, 27, of Monticello, was sentenced to 33 years’ to life incarceration in state prison by Sullivan County Court Judge James R. Farrell upon Wunner’s conviction for Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A-II felony, Concealment of a Human Corpse, a Class E Felony, and Tampering with Physical Evidence, a Class E Felony. At sentencing, Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Puma requested that the defendant be sentenced to the maximum periods permitted by law for each conviction to run consecutively to his convictions in Albany County for Murder, Criminal Possession of a Weapon, and Reckless Endangerment.
Judge Farrell agreed with the People’s recommendation and imposed an indeterminate sentence of 25 years to life incarceration for Wunner’s conviction of Murder in the Second Degree, an indeterminate sentence of two to four years incarceration for his conviction of Concealment of a Human Corpse, and a sentence of two to four years incarceration for his conviction of Tampering with Physical Evidence; all of which were ordered to run consecutively. Further, Judge Farrell required this sentence to run consecutively to Wunner’s July 3rd, 2025, Albany County Court sentence of thirty-five years to life incarceration in state prison for Murder in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, and Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree convictions. As such, Wunner will be incarcerated in state prison on these collective sentences for a total of 68 years to life.
Wunner’s Sullivan County convictions followed a five-day jury trial where the jury found that on October 4, 2024, Wunner intentionally beat and shot Jose Rodriguez, 42, to death at 20 Lakewood Avenue in the Village of Monticello. The jury further found that Wunner wrapped Rodriguez’ corpse in a tarp and transported it to the Woodridge rail trail where he dumped the body. The evidence presented throughout the trial included witness testimony, cellular cell site analysis, video evidence, and DNA evidence linking the defendant to the crime scene as well as the location where the decedent’s body was located. Wunner’s arrest followed a twenty-five day investigation by the New York State Police after locating Rodriguez’ body on the Woodridge rail trail. This case was prosecuted at trial by Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael J. Puma while Wunner was represented by Matthew Witherow, Esq. Sullivan County Court Judge James R. Farrell presided over the trial.
Conaty said: “Jonte Wunner is a violent, callous murderer that has no regard for the value of human life. He deliberately chose to steal a treasured life from our community, damaging the victim’s beloved family and terrorizing this community. I thank the family for their support, patience, and commitment to obtaining justice for their loved one, Jose Rodriguez. I hope that this sentence demonstrates the importance of Jose Rodriguez’s life and his contributions to the community, as well as provides some closure to the victim’s family to help them continue the process of healing. This sentence further and importantly ensures that this monster will serve the remainder of his natural life behind bars bringing his reign of terror on the community to a close.”
