Two Poughkeepsie men have been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a man who has been identified as Shandaken resident Frederick Veitch III, known as Joe. The 28-year-old was the son of Phoenicia Barber Shop owner Fred Veitch. Joe was an HVAC technician and had trained as a barber so he could cut hair at the shop on Main Street. The Veitches had recently moved upstate from Long Island after visiting the Catskills for decades.
On November 13, a 911 call to police reported a man being tied up and beaten at an apartment on Marshall Street in Poughkeepsie. Veitch was dead when officers arrived at 1:10 a.m. and found him bound in the first floor apartment. David Perry, 49, who was leaving the house as police arrived, was taken into custody. Daniel Barletta, 19, resident of the 48 Marshall Street apartment, escaped through a window and was tracked to New York City, where he was apprehended by members of the City of Poughkeepsie Police and N.Y.P.D. Detective Lt. Matt Clark said Perry admitted that the two men had attempted to rob Veitch and claimed that he had died during a struggle. The two suspects are being held without bail in the Dutchess County jail pending arraignment. Police are awaiting results of a toxicology report to determine whether Veitch died from the beating or from other causes.
A sign in the window of the barber shop states that it is closed due to death and will reopen in early December. A mass of Christian burial will be held on Monday, December 11, at 1 p.m. at the St. Francis de Sales Church, 104 Main Street, Phoenicia.
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