Reynolds gets a break before sentencing

NORWICH – Almost a year has passed since a home invasion in Sherburne that led to the death of Pittsfield man.

Standing before a county judge Monday, a man being held in connection with the crime received a three-week furlough before final sentencing on June 23.

Robert R. Reynolds, 46, of 476 Pleasant Valley Rd., has been incarcerated since the summer of 2007 following his involvement in a fatal shoot-out with Joshua Richheimer, who had broken into Reynolds’ home in order to rob him of money and drugs.

In exchange for his testimony against Richheimer’s alleged accomplice, Reynolds was convicted of second degree criminal possession of marijuana, a class D felony.

Before pre-sentencing got underway, District Attorney Joseph McBride asked Judge W. Howard Sullivan to allow victim statements. Richheimer’s mother was the first to speak, saying she disagreed with the plea deal handed to Reynolds.



“When I was younger, I was always told, you do the crime, you do the time,” she said, adding that she was in court on her son’s behalf. “I am here because my son was killed, and his voice will not be heard to tell his portion of what happened.”

“I am looking for some justice for my son,” she said.

McBride spoke briefly, saying that if it were not for the fact that the defendant had been dealing drugs, the incident would never have happened.

Reynold’s Defense Attorney Scott Clippinger countered McBride’s argument later in the proceedings, saying, “That is like blaming a bank for holding money.”

Charges were first brought against Reynolds in the summer of 2007 after Chenango County Sheriff’s found Richheimer’s remains approximately 100 yards from Reynolds’ home. The body was buried in a shallow, make-shift grave with a back-hoe about 40 yards into a wooded area.

Reynolds reportedly gave deputies the directions to find the body and claimed the crime was committed in self-defense.

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Reader Response

1 comments on this story

kem333
June 3rd, 2008 at 5:23 pm
A perfect example of why we need the second amendment. Praying for time served for the one who defended his home, and nice weather for the next three weeks.
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