BAINBRIDGE — It was standing room only in the crowded Town of Bainbridge Court on Fri., Oct. 31, during the felony hearing of alleged killer John M. Guzy, a retired New York City police officer and newly hired corrections officer for the Chenango County Correctional Facility. The alleged killer was guarded by four corrections officers and seated in shackles next to his public defender, Aaron A. Dean.
Judge Brian K. Barnhart was to determine whether or not there was reasonable cause to believe Guzy had committed the class A-1 felony of murder in the second degree.
It is alleged on or about Oct. 27 at approximately 1:27 p.m. – in the parking lot of Peak Fitness in Bainbridge – Guzy, 56, of Bainbridge shot and killed Derek D. Prindle, 26, of Afton. It is also alleged he shot and wounded Prindle’s father, Derek S. Prindle, 60, of Afton. The hearing was held regarding the murder of Prindle Jr.
District Attorney Joseph A. McBride questioned three New York State Police witnesses to provide reasonable cause. The testimonies of the NYSP employees lasted more than 45 minutes.
The first witness to testify was State Trooper Megan Miller. She was the first to arrive on the scene of the shooting at the Bainbridge gym. Miller said it was approximately 1:30 p.m. on Mon., Oct. 27 and she was traveling on Route 7 towards Sidney when she “received a 911 call about a reported stun gun incident.”
When Miller arrived at Peak Fitness, she saw Derek D. Prindle on the ground in the parking lot and Derek S. Prindle giving him CPR. She also saw a tan SUV next to the men with a license plate number written in the dirt on the windshield of the vehicle.
“The father lifted his shirt and that's when I realized these weren't stun gun wounds, they were real gunshot wounds,” said Miller.
She said the 26-year-old victim's eyes were open, but he had no pulse and was non-responsive. “I saw two wounds; one in the chest and one below the nipple line. They were as big as my index finger. There was no blood and there was black around the edges, gun powder,” said Miller.
McBride asked Miller, based on her training, what the appearance of the wounds indicated to her. “It appeared to be a close-range shooting,” said Miller.
Miller also attempted CPR on Prindle Jr. until the emergency team arrived and transported him to Tri-Town Regional Hospital in Sidney. He was given CPR for 20 minutes at the hospital before being pronounced dead at approximately 2:20 p.m.
According to Miller, Prindle Sr. had also been shot and was transported to UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City. McBride said he is doing well and is expected to fully recover.
McBride's second witness was NYSP Investigator Michelle Marshall, who has been investigating felony crimes in Chenango County for more than nine years. She received a call in her office at approximately 1:40 p.m. about an incident in Bainbridge and was told someone was in the lobby of the Troop C station in Sidney to speak with her about it.
Marshall said Guzy was bleeding from his right hand and had a line of blood running down his face from the back of his head. She also said his eyes were red, and she smelled alcohol on his breath.
“He was coherent. He advised me that he had been involved in a road rage incident and admitted he had shot the individuals. He said he had left the weapon at the scene,” said Marshall.
Marshall arrested Guzy at approximately 1:47 p.m. and rode with him in the ambulance to the hospital to have his wounds examined. When she arrested him, Miller said Guzy asked her if he was free to go, and she told him he was not.
The final hearing witness was NYSP Senior Investigator Steven Anderson, who has been an investigator for more than 20 years and is head of processing crime scene forensics. Anderson received a call in his office at approximately the same time Marshall did. After meeting Guzy in the lobby of the Troop C station and collecting his clothing and trace evidence, he proceeded to the scene of the alleged crime.
He said the Prindle vehicle was parked askew in the gravel parking lot of the gym. “The lights were on and the windows were down,” said Prindle. He also said four .25 caliber casings were found and it appeared that gravel was disturbed nearby “consistent with spinning tires leaving the parking lot.”
Anderson said he and other law enforcement searched for the weapon but did not find it until the next day on Oct. 28 at approximately 4 p.m. According to Anderson, the Beretta .25 caliber, semi-automatic handgun was found partially covered by a pile of leaves under a tree with “bark damaged by impact” approximately three-tenths of a mile east of the Peak Fitness parking lot, off the south shoulder of Route 7.
McBride showed pictures of the gun to Anderson and asked him to describe what he saw. “That is inside the barrel of the gun. The dried red stains inside the barrel were confirmed to be blood,” said Anderson.
After Anderson finished describing the pictures and answering the defenses's follow-up questions, McBride rested.
“Your honor, we would ask for a motion to dismiss,” said Dean to Barnhart. “Especially when it comes to the aspect of attempt in this offense,” said Dean regarding the allegation of attempt to murder as part of the murder in the second degree charge.
McBride said to Barnhart, “I disagree, judge. I think there is sufficient evidence that he attempted to murder the victim. When you place a gun on or near someone's chest and shoot more than once, you are trying to kill them.”
Barnhart denied Dean's motion to dismiss. He said after reviewing the facts, he found there is reasonable cause to believe Guzy committed a felony.
Guzy's case will be presented before a grand jury in mid Nov. for the group of grand jurors to determine whether or not there is enough evidence to indict him on the charge of murder in the second degree.