Orange County woman convicted of 2014 murder, arson seeks sentence reduction

An Orange County woman serving 19 years to life for her role in a violent murder and arson was back in court Monday in the hope of having her sentence reduced.

Jennifer Molyneux pleaded guilty in 2017 to strangling and bludgeoning an 81-year-old woman in Goshen in 2014 while her boyfriend, Devon Giordano, set fire to the victim's home.

On Monday, Molyneux's attorney pleaded to the court for a reduction in her sentence under the Domestic Violence Survivor Justice Act, claiming she was abused by Giordano at the time she committed the crime.

A forensic psychologist testified at length that Molyneux does not meet the criteria for a sentence reduction under the act and had an established pattern of mental illness and substance abuse prior to the crime.