First courthouse trial since COVID ends in conviction

An Ellenville man is found guilty of rape for a September 2019 attack in the village.

KINGSTON, N.Y. » An Ellenville man has been convicted of rape and burglary at the first trial held inside the Ulster County Courthouse since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.

Since March 2020, proceedings of the court had been conducted virtually to avoid transmission of the coronavirus.

Andrew Sturgill, 32, of 133 Center St., Ellenville, faces up to 25 years in state prison and 20 years of postrelease supervision when he is sentenced June 24. He also will be registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Sturgill was convicted April 13 of rape, sexual abuse and burglary, all violent felonies, before acting County Judge James R. Farrell after a trial that began April 5.

The jury, comprising eight men and four women, convicted Sturgill of all counts in the indictment against him following a day of deliberations, the DA’s office said.

Sturgill was accused of unlawfully entering a woman’s home in the village of Ellenville on Sept. 8, 2019, and raping her while she was incapacitated, according to the DA’s office. An Ulster County grand jury indicted Sturgill on Nov. 1, 2019.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Timothy D. Lawson and Luba Reznikova. Sturgill was represented by Edward Bruno.

In a prepared statement, District Attorney David Clegg said he “greatly appreciates both the jurors who served and all prospective jurors who were willing to serve.”

“Defendants entitled to a trial by jury cannot exercise those rights without citizens willing to perform jury service,” Clegg said. “It is a relief that, with increased knowledge about COVID 19, we are able to identify and take necessary safety precautions which allow some critical functions of the criminal justice system to slowly resume.”