Hudson Valley Man Confesses to Valentine's Day Party Murder

A Hudson Valley man admitted he killed another man during a Valentine’s Day-themed party at a local club.

In Southern District of New York Court, 24-year-old Troy Young of Newburgh pleaded guilty to murder and his involvement in a racketeering conspiracy in connection with his membership in “Southside,” a violent street gang that operated in the City of Newburgh.

Young confessed to murdering Gevontay Owens-Grant, a gang rival after an altercation broke out at a Valentine’s Day-themed party at a Newburgh club. Young was partially paralyzed after being shot the same night he killed Owens-Grant. Several others were injured during the shooting, officials say.

“Troy Young has admitted to shooting at gang rivals during a crowded Valentine’s Day party and to killing 21-year-old Gevontay Owens-Grant. This murder demonstrated a disregard for the value of human life that epitomizes these senseless gang rivalries. Young now faces a significant term in prison for this shooting, the type of tragic event that happens too often on our city streets," U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said.

According to an indictment, from at least 2014 through June 2017, the Southside gang was a criminal enterprise centered in and around the intersection of South Street and Chambers Street in an area of Newburgh also known as the “Southside.” In order to gain funds for the gang, protect the gang’s territory and promote the gang’s standing, members of Southside engaged in narcotics trafficking, robbery and acts involving murder.

Southside members sold heroin, crack cocaine and marijuana in the gang’s territory; promoted their gang affiliation on social media sites such as Facebook; possessed firearms and engaged in shootings as part of their gang membership, officials say.

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Young was arrested in January 2018 as a result of a multi-year investigation by the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and the City of Newburgh Police Department into gang violence in Newburgh. On June 14, 2017, an indictment was unsealed, charging 20 members and associates of Southside with racketeering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy and firearms charges. Another indictment, unsealed in January of 2018, added additional firearms charges against certain defendants and charged four defendants with committing two separate murders as part of their involvement in Southside, including the murder of Owens-Grant. To date, 18 defendants have pleaded guilty.

Young faces a maximum term of life in prison.

Hudson Valley Man Confesses to Valentine’s Day Party Murder