Wallkill man sentenced in 2022 murder-for-hire plot to kill neighbor

GOSHEN - A town of Wallkill man convicted of murder and other charges after he allegedly hired a hit man to kill his neighbor was sentenced Thursday in Orange County Court to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced the sentence for Enoch Lowe, 25, of Wallkill .

In May, a jury convicted Lowe of all charges against him, including first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and second-degree conspiracy, all felonies.

As alleged at trial, Lowe hired Damante T. Stansberry, 24, of Middletown, to kill a neighbor with whom Lowe had long-standing animosity.

Prosecutors argued Lowe promised Stansberry $15,000 to commit the murder. Lowe also acted as a lookout, informing Stansberry when the neighbor was alone, outside and vulnerable to an attack.

At approximately 5 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2022, Stansberry arrived at the home of the 53-year-old victim and repeatedly stabbed the man, who was repairing a fence in his backyard.

Evidence at the trial established that Lowe sent text messages to Stansberry immediately before Stansberry left to commit the murder. As soon as Stansberry returned from committing the murder, Lowe spoke to him using a cellular telephone.

Attempted arson: City of Newburgh resident charged in connection with Carpenter Ave. fire

Stansberry pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, a felony, on March 30, 2023, in connection with the stabbing death of Lowe's neighbor. He is currently awaiting sentencing.

Lowe was arrested on Oct. 10, 2023 and charged in connection with his neighbor's murder following an investigation by the Town of Wallkill Police Department, who were assisted by state police, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force of the Hudson Valley, the Orange County Sheriff's and District Attorney's offices, the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center and the United States Secret Service.

"The only sentence appropriate in this case is the one imposed, which ensures this violent offender will never again be able to hurt anyone in our community," Hoovler said in a statement released by his office. "I offer my condolences to the victim's family and friends, and I hope that the sentence imposed renders a degree of closure."

The name of Lowe's attorney was not immediately available.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Wallkill man sentenced in 2022 murder-for-hire plot to kill neighbor