Newburgh man gets 13 years for violent daytime robbery

A Newburgh man will spend 13 years in state prison for a daylight robbery that turned violent after the victim refused to hand over money, a sentence prosecutors said was meant to answer both the assault and the fear it stirred in the city.

Robert Smith, 55, was sentenced Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Orange County Court to 13 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. The sentence came after a jury convicted him Aug. 7, 2025, of robbery in the second degree, a felony that carried a possible prison term of up to 15 years.

Prosecutors said the robbery happened Oct. 12, 2024, at about 1:10 p.m. in the City of Newburgh. Smith was riding a bicycle when he approached a man and demanded money. When the victim refused and kept walking, Smith got off the bike, punched him repeatedly, forced him backward onto the pavement and then went through his pockets, took property and fled.

The victim later died of unrelated causes before the case reached trial, but the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said the robbery was still proven beyond a reasonable doubt through other witnesses and evidence. After the jury returned its verdict, Smith was remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail.

District Attorney David M. Hoovler thanked the City of Newburgh Police Department for its investigation and said Smith’s record and conduct made the community less safe. He described Smith as a violent recidivist and said the prison term was appropriate for a robbery that unfolded in broad daylight on a city street.

The case carried particular weight in Newburgh because the attack was not a hidden or late-night crime. It happened in the middle of the day, in public view, and ended with the victim on the pavement and Smith taking property from his pockets before escaping. Even after the victim’s death, prosecutors kept the case moving and secured a conviction that now carries a lengthy prison term and years of supervision after release.