POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – A judge in Dutchess County has sentenced Jan Michael Deere to 30 years in prison following the fatal shooting of Jaquan Fryar in March 2024 outside an illegal nightclub. The incident stemmed from a violent confrontation that erupted inside the club, culminating in a deadly encounter that Deere claimed was an act of self-defense.
Deere, 37, faced a jury trial after his co-defendant, Joseph Gonzalez, pleaded guilty to assault earlier this year. Initially, the trial for both men resulted in a hung jury. During the subsequent proceedings, Deere was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter and two firearm-related offenses.
The chain of events began when Fryar assaulted Gonzalez inside the club, using a handgun to strike him. After Gonzalez was knocked unconscious, Fryar attempted to shoot him, but the weapon malfunctioned. In a turn of events, Deere seized the firearm and fatally shot Fryar as he made his way back to the club. Surveillance footage captured the incident, contradicting Deere’s defense claims.
During the sentencing hearing, Fryar’s mother, Nicole Taylor, delivered a poignant statement, recounting the heart-wrenching days spent by her son’s side in the hospital before his death. “I’m supposed to go first,” she said, expressing her grief over losing her son to what she described as both “gun violence and stupidity.” She urged the judge to impose the harshest sentence possible, highlighting the devastating impact of the crime on her family.
Deere, a two-time convicted felon who was on parole at the time of the incident, acknowledged violating several conditions of his probation. He had previously misled authorities, fearful of returning to jail, and was unaware that the confrontation was being recorded.
Defense attorney Phil Sayles argued for Deere, requesting that the jury’s verdict be overturned, a motion that was denied by Judge Edward McLoughlin. Co-counsel Kelley Enderley maintained that her client was not the instigator, emphasizing that it was Fryar who initiated the violence.
In delivering the sentence, Judge McLoughlin characterized the shooting as one of the most egregious acts of cowardice he had encountered. He emphasized that without judicial authority, individuals do not hold the right to impose death sentences. Consequently, Deere received a 25-year sentence for manslaughter and a consecutive five-year term for one of the firearm offenses.
Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi strongly condemned gun violence in the community, asserting that such incidents have devastated many families. He proclaimed that the verdict serves as a stern warning to those who endanger lives with illegal firearms.
Joseph Gonzalez, who had pleaded guilty in May to assault and weapon charges, was sentenced to 10 years in prison earlier this month. His plea spared him from a longer term, had he been convicted on the more serious charges alongside Deere.