Attorney: Boyfriend wrongfully accused of running Rhinebeck woman over with car

An attorney for the victim's boyfriend, who has been charged with murder, says his client is wrongfully accused of running the woman over with his car.

News 12 Staff

Jan 27, 2022, 11:09 PM

Updated 911 days ago

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New information has been released about a Rhinebeck woman found dead in her apartment last weekend.
An attorney for the victim's boyfriend, who has been charged with murder, says his client is accused of running the woman over with his car.
Danielle DiStefano, 35, was found dead by state police inside her Rhinebeck apartment Saturday afternoon but how she died isn't exactly clear.
What is known is that her boyfriend, 42-year-old William Dickie, is charged with murder for what state police reported as "depraved indifference."
Dickie's defense attorney, Ryanne Konan, says he knew the couple from representing Dickie on a previous, unrelated charge.
He says his client is accused in court documents of running DiStefano over with his car and bringing her home last Friday, instead of the hospital.
"We were all shocked. We were all surprised. I don't think my client intentionally hit her with his car and caused her to die," says Konan.
State police have remained tight-lipped on this case and have not publicly released a cause of death. The Dutchess County District Attorney's Office has not returned News 12's calls.
"We don't even have a time of death. No cause of death. It would be foolish for them to run to a grand jury," says Konan.
A preliminary hearing will be held in Rhinebeck Town Court to determine if there's enough evidence against Dickie to continue holding him in Dutchess County Jail, where he's been without bail since Tuesday.
A source close to the couple tells News 12 there was a history of domestic violence between the two, which Dickie's attorney denies.
Konan says his client is in "shock" and that the couple had been together for a long time.


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