Man pleads guilty to killing Greenwood Lake resident

Joseph Janulewicz, 65, of West Nyack has pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter in the first degree, a Class B felony, in connection with the killing of Greenwood Lake resident Brian Romney in 2022.

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh announced the plea, which was made before County Court Judge Larry Schwartz.

He said that on June 10, 2022, Romney was reported missing when he did not arrive at his relative’s home in West Nyack as expected two days earlier.

The report initially was filed with the Village of Greenwood Lake Police Department. The New York State Police from the Monroe barracks was brought in to assist in the missing person investigation.

On June 15, 2022, investigators found his vehicle in West Nyack. The investigation by the New York State Police resulted in the execution of a search warrant for 35 East St., West Nyack. That’s when police discovered Romney’s body in a tarp inside the residence of Joseph Janulewicz late in the evening of June 16, 2022.

Investigators say Romney had more than a dozen stab wounds, and the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.

Officers arrested Janulewicz on June 17, 2022, on one count each of murder in the second degree, concealment of a human corpse and manslaughter in the first degree.

After pleading guilty to the manslaughter charge, Janulewicz admitted that he intended to cause Romney “serious physical injury” when he stabbed him multiple times, including a fatal wound to his back. He admitted that he then wrapped Romney’s body in a blue tarp and concealed it in his home until it was discovered by the New York State Police.

Walsh said, “Today’s guilty plea and the securing of a lengthy prison term for the defendant holds him fully accountable for the heinous crime he committed. The defendant admitted that he intentionally stabbed the victim over a dozen times causing his death. I commend the exceptional work of the New York State Police that investigated this case along with the Village of Greenwood Lake Police Department.”

Janulewicz was sent to the Rockland County Jail pending sentencing, which is scheduled for Jan. 17. He is expected to be sentenced to 15 years in state prison with five years of post-release supervision.