A former Hudson Valley highway boss is headed to state prison for nearly two decades after shooting a DoorDash driver who came to his home looking for help.
John Reilly III, the former highway superintendent of the Town of Chester, was sentenced Monday to 17 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision after an Orange County jury convicted him in March of assault and firearms charges in the shooting of delivery driver Alpha Barry. Barry survived but suffered severe wounds that required emergency surgery, according to Times Union. Prosecutors had pushed for more time, and Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said the punishment "justly reflects" what he called Reilly's "depraved indifference to human life."
What the court heard
Prosecutors told jurors that doorbell camera footage from May 2, 2025, shows Reilly first fire a warning shot into his front lawn, then aim and shoot at Barry's car as the driver tried to leave. Barry, who testified through a French interpreter, said his phone had died and he had only asked to charge it and get directions. He told the court that after being hit, he drove himself to a gas station because he thought he was dying. Surgeons later removed sections of his small bowel, and he lived with a colostomy bag for months, as reported by WAMC.
Deleted footage and plea
Prosecutors say that after investigators first visited the home, Reilly's wife, Selina Nelson-Reilly, deleted 17 doorbell video clips. She later pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence and was placed on interim probation under a deal announced by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The office said the deleted clips hindered the investigation, although enough footage remained to help secure Reilly's conviction, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
When investigators executed a search warrant at Reilly's house, they found .45-caliber casings, the projectile recovered from the lawn, a shoulder holster and multiple pistols, prosecutors said. They also discovered that Reilly held a federal firearms license but did not possess a New York State pistol permit, according to reporting from The Associated Press.
Appeal and civil claims
Reilly’s attorney said his team plans to file an appeal. Meanwhile, Barry has filed a negligence lawsuit against Reilly and the Town of Chester, News 12 reported, and local lawyers say the civil case is expected to move forward while the criminal appeal plays out.
Hoodline first covered Reilly’s arrest last year, in an earlier report on the Chester DoorDash shooting. With sentencing now in place, the legal saga is set to continue in appellate court and in the civil lawsuit against both Reilly and the town.
