Stabbing leads to 3 murder charges

Killing happened in Oct. 2017 at county park in town of Ulster

TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. » Three Kingston men have been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of an unidentified man whose body was found more than three months ago in the area of Sojourner Truth Ulster Landing Park in the town of Ulster, according to officials and court documents filed after the men were arrested.

A fourth Kingston man is facing unspecified related charges, said William Weishaupt, chief investigator for the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.

According to accusatory documents filed in Rosendale Town Court, where the suspects initially appeared, Sergio G. Herrera Hidalgo, 20, Israel Mendiola-Flores, 23, and Cristian R.

Perez Perez, 20, were arrested Feb. 21, and each was charged with one felony count of second-degree murder.

According to court documents, the victim was killed about 3 a.m. Oct. 25, 2017, at the Ulster County-operated park at 4318 Ulster Landing Road in the town of Ulster. The accusatory documents state the defendants “intended to cause and did cause the death of another person by stabbing him with a sharp instrument.”

Weishaupt said the victim was about the same age as the defendants. He would not say where the man lived.

Mendiola-Flores was arraigned in Ulster Town Court on Feb. 21 and sent to the Ulster County Jail without bail. A request for his photo, which normally would be provided by the county Sheriff’s Office, was referred to the District Attorney’s Office and then denied.

Perez was arraigned in Ulster Town Court on Feb. 21 and Hidalgo was arraigned there on Feb. 22, according to a court clerk. Both were sent to the Ulster County Jail but since have been moved to federal custody, Weishaupt said.

Town of Ulster Supervisor James Quigley said the Ulster Town Hall, where the Town Court is located, was “locked down” for an hourlong arraignment the afternoon of Feb. 21.

Quigley said the proceeding before Town Justice Susan Kesick “required extreme

measures to protect the public.” He said the Town Hall was evacuated and all nonessential town employees were sent home for the remainder of the day.

The supervisor said he only became aware last week about the discovery of a body in his town in October 2017. Local media also were not alerted at the time.

In an email Tuesday denying a state Freedom of Information Law request for additional information and photos of the accused,

including the fourth unnamed suspect, Weishaupt wrote that “all requested information is presently the subject matter of an ongoing criminal investigation and therefore exempt from disclosure.”

On Tuesday, Trooper Steven Nevel said state police made the arrests but turned over all information to the FBI. The arrests were not listed on the state police online blotter.

An FBI violent crimes spokeswoman did not return multiple phone calls and emails.