Anthony Parrish Sentenced to 40 Years for 2024 Crawford Headshots
The Middletown man received the maximum penalty after a jury convicted him on seven counts following a shooting in which the victim crawled to a road for help.
By Naomi Tesfaye ·
Anthony Parrish will spend 40 years in prison for shooting a Town of Crawford resident twice in the head. Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown handed down the sentence on Tuesday, November 10, followed by five years of post-release supervision. The verdict marks the conclusion of a case that began in June 2024 when Parrish, 56, fired at the victim at his home.
The jury convicted Parrish on all charges in September. The counts include attempted murder in the second degree and assault in the first degree. He also faced charges for criminal possession of a weapon in the second and third degrees. The conviction included criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third, fourth, and fifth degrees, with two separate counts for the fifth degree.
The shooting occurred around 8 a.m. on June 6, 2024. Parrish entered the victim's house and discharged the firearm twice into the man's head before fleeing the scene. Despite sustaining severe injuries, the victim crawled from the residence to a main road. He flagged down a passerby, who contacted 911 to report the emergency.
Investigators identified Parrish through a local police connection. A Town of Crawford police sergeant visited the property the day before the shooting for an unrelated matter. During that visit, Parrish was present on a motorbike. The victim later told the officer that the man on the bike was the shooter. The sergeant reviewed body-worn camera footage from the previous day and identified the motorcycle plate, leading to Parrish's name.
Police issued a be-on-the-lookout alert after the shooting. A City of Middletown police officer spotted Parrish at a bus stop in Middletown and detained him. Officers recovered a duffle bag from his possession containing a loaded firearm and narcotics. The gun matched the weapon used in the shooting, and Parrish's DNA was found on both the firearm and the drug packaging.
Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler described the incident as unspeakable violence. He stated that the maximum sentence was the only appropriate response to the defendant's actions. Hoovler noted that Parrish attempted to leave the jurisdiction before being caught. He credited the Town of Crawford Police, the City of Middletown Police Department, and the New York State Police for their roles in locating and charging the suspect.
