OSWEGO – Today (February 1), the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, unanimously affirmed the murder conviction and sentence of 36-year-old Steven Szatanek.
In December of 2015, Szatanek was convicted after a multi-week jury trial.
Through its verdict, the jury found that Szatanek intentionally killed 17-year-old AnnaRose Shove at Brennan’s Beach in August of 2014.
Szatanek had a prior violent felony conviction for Burglary in the Second Degree and was on parole at the time of the murder.
According to police and prosecutors, Shove did not know Szatanek prior to the date of her death.
The two met on the beach that day.
In affirming the conviction, the Appellate Division found that the evidence presented at trial supported the conviction.
The court specifically referred to the defendant’s trial testimony that the he disposed “of some of the victim’s belongings, including her purse, offering unlikely explanations for why he had done so.”
The court also noted that defendant testified at trial about finding a suicide note but never mentioned any such note when he spoke to police.
The Appellate Division also credited the testimony of the Onondaga County Medical Examiner that the victim’s injuries were consistent with being held underwater rather than an accidental drowning.
Chief District Attorney Mark Moody prosecuted the case for the District Attorney’s Office.
Szatanek was represented by Attorney Paul Carey from Syracuse.
Oswego County District Attorney Gregory Oakes commended the court’s decision and extended sympathy to the victim’s family.
“I hope today’s decision provides some measure of solace to AnnaRose’s parents, who did not deserve to lose a daughter this way,” Oakes said.
District Attorney Oakes also praised the New York State Police and gave special recognition to lead investigator Charlotte Yerdon.
“We never could have obtained justice in this case without the hard work and dedication of the State Police, who worked tirelessly on behalf of this young victim” said Oakes.
As part of its decision, the appellate court upheld Szatanek’s sentence of 25 years to life.
Szatanek is currently being housed at Five Points Correctional Facility in Romulus, NY.
The court’s full decision is available at https://www.nycourts.gov/courts/ad4/Clerk/Decisions/2019/02-01-19/PDF/1426.pdf
missing or outdated ad config
