Middletown cold case killer’s sentencing delayed as co-defendants’ cases continue
Defense attorney says sentencing was scheduled too early and will proceed after related co-defendant cases are resolved.
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The man who admitted to killing 26-year-old Sebastian Avilan-Medina in a Middletown shooting will not be sentenced just yet.
Dijion Constantine, 23, was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in Orange County Court, but the proceeding was adjourned to June 23 at 9:30 a.m.
Constantine was not present in court.
There was some initial confusion about whether he was expected to appear, but his defense attorney later clarified that the sentencing date had been set prematurely.
He says Constantine testified against two co-defendants in the case, whose prosecutions are still pending — and will not be sentenced until those cases are resolved.
Constantine pleaded guilty in June 2024 to second-degree murder in the killing of Avilan-Medina, who was found shot to death inside his Knapp Avenue home in March 2019.
The case remained unsolved for more than five years as Middletown police pursued hundreds of leads before making arrests in 2024.
Two other men — Douglas R. McFarlane and Sheldon M. Paul — were later charged with murder in connection to the case. Their cases are ongoing.
