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Dubbed the vigilante murder trial, the jury deliberated for eight days before finding David Carlson, 45, guilty on Nov. 14 of killing Norris Acosta Sanchez, according to a website set up to help fund the defendant's case.
Following the conviction, Carlson's bail was raised to a $500,000 bond over $250,000 cash and he remains behind bars, according to Acting Westchester County District Attorney James A. McCarty. He will be sentenced on Jan. 9.
Neighbors and friends supported Carlson's shooting of Sanchez on Oct. 10, 2013, raising money and rallying around him as the case was investigated and eventually went to trial, according the website and a Facebook page in support of the accused.
In 2013, Sanchez had been staying on Carlson's property and after becoming comfortable with the family, confided he was a wanted fugitive for the rape of a 14-year-old girl, according to multiple reports and the website. He had told Carlson it was sexual consent and felt wronged by the system.
Carlson pretended to remain Sanchez's friend but went to local police so they could bring the fugitive in on warrant. A botched confrontation between the two men led to Carlson shooting Sanchez in the head, reports indicate.
The Old Plank Road resident now faces a maximum of 25 years in prison, the DA's office said.
Westchester County Assistant District Attorney Timothy Ward and Westchester County Assistant District Attorney Lana Hochheiser, acting as special assistant district attorneys for Orange County, are prosecuting the case.
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