ORANGE COUNTY, NY – District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced on Monday, that Steven Lillo, 39, of Newburgh, pled guilty to Assault in the Second Degree. The plea was entered before the Honorable Craig Stephen Brown in Orange County Court, just as the trial was about to commence. Lillo faces up to seven years in prison when he is sentenced on July 18, 2023.
During an argument with his wife in July 2021, Lillo shot her in the head five times with a BB gun and once in the hand, causing BBs to become lodged in her head. He also pistol-whipped her with the BB gun, causing lacerations to her forehead. Their seven-year-old child witnessed part of the altercation and called the police. Lillo admitted to using the BB gun to cause physical injury to his wife.
District Attorney Hoovler thanked the Town of Newburgh Police Department for their investigation and urged victims of domestic violence to seek help from resources and support agencies.