October 03, 2026
Murder by Mistake: Jury Convicts Sheldon Paul in 2019 Killing of Sebastian Avilan-Medina
Headline card by The Night Desk
Seven and a half years after a man was shot dead in his own apartment, a jury says the man who ordered it finally pays — and the cruelest detail is that he got the wrong guy.
Sheldon Paul, 42, of Middletown, was found guilty on Oct. 2 of two counts of second-degree murder in the 2019 killing of Sebastian Avilan-Medina, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced.
The hit that hit the wrong person
Prosecutors say that on the morning of March 11, 2019, two men, ages 18 and 19, walked into Avilan-Medina's apartment on Knapp Street in Middletown. Avilan-Medina was the only person home. He was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head.
Paul, the DA's office argued, had sent the two teenagers to the apartment — retaliation for a burglary at Paul's own residence five days earlier, on March 6, 2019, that Paul believed Avilan-Medina had orchestrated.
Evidence at trial showed the devastating twist: Paul later realized he had been wrong. Avilan-Medina had nothing to do with the burglary. An innocent man died over a revenge that pointed at the wrong address.
"This defendant attempted to get away with murder by sending two teenagers to the victim's home, the very place where a person should feel the most secure," Hoovler said. "I hope this verdict brings some measure of closure to the family and loved ones of the victim."
The defense isn't done
Paul's attorney, Eli Siems, called the verdict questionable — arguing the jury could not agree on whether Paul actually ordered a hit, yet convicted him of second-degree murder on two counts based on "conflicting theories of the case." The defense says it is "looking into these and other issues," signaling an appeal.
Paul was returned to the Orange County jail, held without bail. Sentencing is set for Jan. 21, 2027 — where he faces 25 years to life in state prison.
Seven years for a guilty verdict. For Sebastian Avilan-Medina's family, the closure is real. But the "why" will never make sense — because it wasn't about who he was at all.
Source: Times Herald-Record
Source: Times Herald-Record (recordonline.com) — read the original report
← Back to latest stories