Former Westfall official charged with murder—again

By PAT CAMUSO

WESTFALL — The former chairman of the Westfall Township Planning Commission, Joe Stacy, is in the Orange County jail accused of shooting and killing a 43-year-old father of ten children who was expected to testify against him in a Pike County Court on Monday, July 8.

Stacy, 76, resigned from the planning commission last August following his arrest for the alleged sexual assault of a minor female. At that time, Stacy was also charged with illegally possessing 12 firearms.

Stacy was convicted of manslaughter 41 years ago after shooting his girlfriend to death in a Liberty diner. Because of that felony conviction, in which he was sentenced with 10 to 20 years in a New York state prison, it is against the law for him to own or possess a firearm.

Michael Walter of Westfall was to testify against Stacy this week concerning the sexual assault case and subsequent firearm charges. Instead, Walter died on Friday afternoon, July 5, after Stacy barged into the Port Jervis Auto Mall and shot him in the chest at point blank range with a large caliber semiautomatic handgun. At the time of the shooting, Stacy was free under a $75,000 bond in Pike County.

Also injured in the attack was Walter’s co-worker, 55-year-old Salvatore Latina. Latina witnessed the initial shooting and jumped Stacy in an attempt to stop further violence. During the altercation, Latina was seriously wounded in the hand by another fired round yet managed to keep Stacy down and subdued until police arrived on the scene. Both Walter and Latina worked as car salesmen at the Auto Mall.

Stacy and Walter were neighbors and both served together on the Westfall planning commission.

Pike County District Attorney Doug Jacobs would not comment much on the Stacy case except to say that a bench warrant is being issued because he failed to appear in court on July 8 for his assault and gun possession trial. He did say that Stacy’s Pike County trial would resume after the Orange County judicial system is done with him.

Stacy is now facing several charges in Orange County including second degree murder, attempted murder and the criminal possession of a handgun.

Walter leaves behind 10 children ranging between 1 and 16 years of age. His wife, Susan Walter, is currently pregnant with her eleventh child. Police officials in Westfall Township would not comment on the case. Port Jervis police are crediting Latina as a hero for ignoring his own safety and defusing the situation before anyone else was killed.