Jury convicts gunman in $10K Middletown murder-for-hire plot
Douglas McFarlane was found guilty of first- and second-degree murder in the 2019 killing of a young Middletown business owner. The verdict follows three days of jury deliberations.
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An Orange County jury has found Douglas McFarlane guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder in a 2019 murder-for-hire plot that killed a young Middletown business owner.
The verdict came Friday after three days of deliberations in Orange County Court in Goshen.
McFarlane was charged with fatally shooting 26-year-old Sebastian Avilan-Medina in the face at close range inside his Knapp Avenue home on March 11, 2019.
Prosecutors said co-defendant Sheldon Paul ordered the killing because he believed Avilan-Medina had burglarized his home.
During closing arguments Wednesday, Orange County Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher Borek said McFarlane was paid $10,000 stolen from the victim’s own home, while another co-defendant, Dijion Constantine, received marijuana taken from the property. Prosecutors pointed to surveillance video released by Middletown police during their yearslong search for suspects, phone records and testimony from Constantine, who previously pleaded guilty to murder.
Defense attorney Rory Brady challenged the largely circumstantial case, arguing there was no DNA evidence linking McFarlane to the killing and questioning Constantine’s credibility.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, McFarlane initially tried to hide his face behind a piece of paper before appearing to give the middle finger as News 12 took photographs with the court’s permission.
The case went unsolved for more than five years before arrests were made in 2024.
The victim’s father, Byron Avilan, spoke with News 12 outside the courthouse Wednesday about the emotional toll of sitting through multiple trials.
“It is a roller coaster of emotions. Hard. Hard for us. Hard to go through all that happened to our son,” Avilan said.
He also spoke about the family’s efforts to shield Sebastian’s young son, who was just a year old when his father was killed, from the painful details.
Before the verdict, Avilan said his family was hoping for justice.
“My son will finally get the justice we are fighting for,” he said.
The verdict follows the conviction of co-defendant Sheldon Paul, who was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder earlier this month following a retrial. Paul is scheduled to be sentenced January 21, 2027.
Constantine pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in June 2024 and is also awaiting sentencing.
