Hotel owner indicted in killing of waitress

MONTICELLO – A Sullivan County grand jury has indicted the owner of the Western Hotel in Callicoon on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in connection with the shooting death of Lori Schubeler, a waitress at his hotel.

Joseph Naughton, 64, was charged with manslaughter in the second degree, criminally negligent homicide and two counts criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree in the death of 41-year-old Lori Schubeler. He surrendered to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday morning, was arraigned in County Court and was released on $100,000 property bond.

District Attorney Steven Lungen said when the case goes to trial, the jury will have a number of issues to consider.

Was the defendant’s conduct either reckless or criminally negligent, or from the defense side as well, accidental. The circumstances the jury ultimately may have to decide is in how he was handling the weapon, the question of what impact did alcohol have in this, what impact in the fact that the gun was loaded and represented not to be loaded and the discharged of the firearm directly at Lori Schubeler, striking her in the heart.”

Schubeler, who was a local actress, was shot in the chest and died early in the morning of Sunday, April 13.

District Attorney Steven Lungen, at the time, said Naughton owned the gun and was holding when the woman was shot.

The grand jury heard evidence in the case last week and Wednesday, an indictment was unsealed and Naughton was charged.