KINGSTON, NY – On October 31, 2024, Carlos Ayala, age 39, a parolee from the State of Connecticut, was sentenced in Ulster County Court by the Honorable Bryan E. Rounds to five years in State Prison following a guilty plea to Strangulation in the Second Degree, a class D felony.

In April 2024, Ayala engaged in escalating physical and mental abuse of his intimate partner with whom he began living upon his release from Connecticut State Prison. He was captured on video surveillance cameras as he choked the victim. He was arrested by the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department; he was remanded to the Ulster County Jail following arraignment. While incarcerated, Ayala assaulted two separate inmates; he also threatened the prosecutor.

Special Victims Bureau Chief Jenna Hastings, who prosecuted the case, said, “The defendant pled guilty but has never truly taken accountability for his actions. He showed no remorse. He has a warped view that it is okay for a husband to beat and abuse his wife – he is going to prison because it isn’t.”

The case was prosecuted by Bureau Chief Hastings. Ayala was represented by Thomas Melanson of the Ulster County Public Defender’s Office.

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If you or a loved one are experiencing sexual or domestic violence, please call the Ulster County Crime Victims Assistance Program at (845) 340-3443, or 911 if you are in immediate danger.