Woodstock was stunned 14 years ago by the robbery of Bank of America, which local resident Jahson Marryshow (aka Jahson Solomon, then 27 years old) was accused and convicted of staging and executing. His most recent appeal to the state Supreme Court Appellate Division was lost.
The audacious heist reads like a true crime story: Marryshow first stole a car from a home on Yerry Hill Road before setting fire to a barn on the other side of town. His intent was reportedly to draw law enforcement away from the bank, slowing police response time. It worked. He subsequently held up Woodstock’s Bank of America at gunpoint and escaped the scene, cash in hand, without initially being caught.
The story then took an unbelievable turn four months later, after police attempts to locate the suspect had produced no results. Marryshow was finally found — still in Woodstock — when police responded to investigate an unrelated assault allegation. It is unclear whether they knew they were dealing with an arson and bank robbery suspect at the time. As he was in the process of being arrested, Marryshow escaped police custody and vanished without a trace, right from the middle of town.
Marryshow remained on the loose for nearly four years, but the authorities never stopped investigating his whereabouts. He was eventually tracked down to Oregon and nabbed in 2014 during a game of ultimate frisbee.
Marryshow’s latest appeal sought to overturn a 2021 ruling denying a retrial based on ineffective counsel. The appellate court upheld the decision, finding no valid basis for his claims. He argued his attorney failed to present evidence, including police notes suggesting a white male suspect, but the court ruled this inadmissible. Additionally, he claimed physical evidence lacked his DNA or fingerprints, but the court found no link to key items.
Previously, Marryshow contested his conviction as circumstantial, but the court upheld the verdict. He remains incarcerated at Eastern Correctional Facility in Napanoch, eligible for parole in August 2027, with a maximum release date of October 2029.
Join the family! 
