HERKIMER COUNTY -- A retired Rochester police captain will face second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of his son at an Adirondack motel last summer.
Authorities say 59-year-old Michael Leach pleaded not guilty February 6th in his arraignment in Herkimer County Court after a grand jury indictment was unsealed.
Leach said that he thought his son was an intruder when he shot and killed him at the Clark’s Beach Motel in Old Forge on July 21st.
Leach’s son, 37-year-old Matthew Leach, was pronounced dead at a Utica Hospital after the shooting. The elder Leach called 911 just before 1am, reporting the shooting.
The Herkimer County District Attorney’s office has spent since last October deciding if there was enough evidence to seek criminal charges.
Leach is being held in Herkimer County Jail in lieu of $200,000 bail.
