Greig man sentenced to 18 years

LOWVILLE — A Greig man was sentenced Friday in Lewis County Court to 18 years in state prison for killing another man in a March 6 shooting.

"It's a sad day when anybody thinks that's the way to resolve a problem," District Attorney Leanne K. Moser said prior to the sentencing of Louis S. Meszaros.

Meszaros, 51, Pine Grove Road, also is to serve five years of post-release supervision and pay restitution of $2,589.40 and $375 in court fees on a charge of first-degree manslaughter, to which he pleaded guilty Oct. 23. The restitution is to cover the victim's funeral expenses.

Meszaros admitted to shooting Jamie W. Duvelow, 24, Glenfield, in the chest and abdomen with a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with bird shot. Mr. Duvelow died March 27 at Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, of injuries suffered in the shooting.

Dale W. Roberts, senior investigator with the Lewis County Sheriff's Department, read a statement from Mr. Duvelow's mother, Christine Dragon.

"I know he wasn't perfect," she wrote. "But no matter what he had done in the past, he didn't deserve what happened to him."

Ms. Dragon in her statement told of the difficulty of sitting beside her son's hospital bed for 20 days and ultimately making the decision to end efforts to prolong his life.

"I know it was the right thing to do and it was what he would have wanted, but I can never forgive Mr. Meszaros for making me have to let my son die," she wrote.

The plea deal accepted by Meszaros allowed Judge Charles C. Merrell to impose a prison sentence within the range of 13 to 18 years.

Meszaros's attorney, Richard N. Bach, unsuccessfully argued that his client should receive a term on the lower end of that range due to extenuating circumstances. Mr. Bach suggested that Meszaros's "51-year-old life would be, in essence, taken away from him" with a maximum sentence.

"He didn't want anything in his life but privacy," the attorney said.

The incident occurred shortly after Meszaros called dispatchers to report excessive noise from an all-terrain vehicle in the neighborhood. Meszaros — who uses a walker — previously indicated that he did not know Mr. Duvelow and shot the young man in an attempt to keep him away.

Mr. Bach described his client as a God-fearing former Marine who had a background of misuse by his neighbors. That led Meszaros to install "no trespassing" signs and fences around his property, he said.

"Why did he do that?" Mr. Bach said. "It's obvious. Because he was fearful."

He said Meszaros was particularly afraid for his safety when Mr. Duvelow walked toward him on his driveway, since he was unable to run away due to his disabilities.

"I think that night can't be viewed in a vacuum," Mr. Bach said.

Ms. Moser argued that those circumstances did not justify Meszaros's actions nor provide comfort to the victim's family.

"There are no excuses," she said.

Meszeros also spoke prior to his sentencing.

"My deep remorse and sorrow goes out to the family of Jamie Duvelow," he said.

Meszaros said that he prays for the victim's family every day and offered a short prayer on their behalf in court.

"I never wanted to take anybody's life," he said.

Meszaros is to serve his prison sentence at Clinton Correctional Facility, Dannemora.

This case was the first homicide in Lewis County since 1995.