Gagnon gets 12 years for Ogdensburg shooting death of friend

pCANTON — Michael A. Gangnon was sentenced to 12 years in prison today for the shooting death of his friend. /ppThere were no winners in this case, St. Lawrence County Court County Court Judge Jerome J. Richards said./ppGagnon, 51, of 711 Jefferson Ave., Ogdensburg, was sentenced for his May 7 guilty plea to the reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter in a plea deal with the district attorney’s office, admitting guilt to the April 6, 2018 shooting death of Phillip B. Goolden./ppHis court appearance at the time of his plea was intended to be the start of jury selection for a trial under his original charge of second-degree murder./ppHe took the deal instead of rolling the dice at trial after hearing the court’s commitment to sentence him to no more than 12 years in prison. He told County Judge Jerome J. Richards that on April 6, 2018 in the city of Ogdensburg, he intended to cause serious physical injury to Mr. Goolden by shooting him with a high-powered rifle, resulting in his death./ppHad he been found guilty after trial for murder, Gagnon faced 25 years to life in prison./ppAs a part of the plea deal, in addition to his prison sentence, he will be sentenced to five years of post-release supervision./ppHe will also have to pay $6,000 to the New York State Crime Victims Board, which paid for Mr. Goolden’s funeral, DA Gary M. Pasqua said. He added that the plea deal was agreed to by Mr. Goolden’s family./ppHe also waived away appeal rights, and will have to pay an additional $675 in court fines, fees and surcharges that would also require him to submit his DNA into a state database./ppDuring Gagnon’s March suppression hearing, witnesses, including Gagnon’s friend John Dishaw and members of state and local police, described a gruesome scene of blood, brain and skull matter scattered about Gagnon’s kitchen where Mr. Goolden’s lifeless body was found on the kitchen floor./ppAmong the evidence collected at the scene were two cell phones and the lever-action Marlin .30-30 hunting rifle belonging to Gagnon that police allege he used to fire the single gunshot to the head that killed Mr. Goolden./ppDuring the hearing, officers said that from the moment they arrived, Gagnon’s demeanor was calm./ppHis friend, Mr. Dishaw, testified that he was speaking gibberish and wasn’t making any sense when he told him over the phone that a man had attacked him, was trying to kill him and that he shot and killed the alleged intruder. Officers also testified to Gagnon making similar statements to them, including “‘this (expletive) coming through your door, I keep a loaded gun and I used it,’” according to Ogdensburg Police Officer Joshua Sirles./ppThis story will be updated /p