Bank robber gets 17 years to life for strangling cellmate

Court papers allege he had a history of violence in prison

CATSKILL — An upstate man was sentenced to 17 years to life in prison last week for strangling to death his cellmate at a state prison in Greene County.

Anthony Paradise, 44, strangled Delmus Tanner with a bedsheet in November 2018 while the two were incarcerated at Greene Correctional Facility, according to District Attorney Joe Stanzione. Tanner, who was serving a fiveyear sentence for attempted drug sale, died four days after the attack.

Paradise was indicted by a grand jury five months later, according to Stanzione’s office. He pleaded guilty to seconddegree murder in October 2022 as jury selection was under way for his trial in County Court.

Paradise and Tanner both arrived at the prison in October 2018 after they were transferred from a facility in Washington County, Stanzione previously said. Paradise was serving 31⁄2 years in prison for robbing Adirondack Trust bank in Saratoga Springs in 2017.

The murder was the third time Paradise — who previously lived in Rensselaer County and Schenectady — had allegedly tried to strangle a fellow inmate.

Court papers allege Paradise tried to “choke and smother” an inmate with his hands in January 2018 while incarcerated at the Saratoga County Jail, and, fewer than nine months later, he wrapped a shoelace around an inmate’s neck at Washington Correctional Facility in an attempt to kill them.

The second incident was not prosecuted because the victim refused to cooperate, Stanzione previously said.

In two later incidents — on Jan 4, 2022, and July 19, 2022, both after the killing of Tanner — Paradise allegedly punched and tackled inmates to the floor, court papers said.

Paradise was defended by Troy-based attorney Shane Hug on the murder charge. He is eligible for parole in 17 years, and could be released in 2040, provided his behavior behind bars is good.