An Orange County jury began deliberations Tuesday in the trial of a Town of Chester official accused of shooting a DoorDash driver in his driveway last year.
In May 2025, Chester Highway Superintendent John Reilly allegedly shot Alpha Barry, who said he stopped at Reilly’s house to ask for help after his phone died. Reilly allegedly shot the driver in his car as he was driving away. Barry was hit in the back and took months to recover.
In closing arguments Monday, the defense argued Reilly was reasonable to be afraid of Barry, who didn’t speak English well, and thought the driver might be trying to burglarize his home.
The prosecution countered saying Reilly intentionally shot Barry. They said he had a history of violence and had no reason to think the driver who was leaving was trying to break in.
Reilly faces attempted murder, assault and multiple gun possession charges.
WAMC's Elias Guerra and Lucas Willard discussed the details of the case on the Northeast Report Tuesday afternoon to catch listeners up ahead of the verdict.
Willard: Elias, welcome
Guerra: Lucas, thanks so much for having me.
Willard: So, for folks who have not been following this trial, can you remind us of some of the background?
Guerra: Of course.
So, as defense attorney Thomas Kenniff, put it in his closing, both sides agree on a lot of the facts, probably because there’s a video of the event.
On May 2, 2025, a DoorDash driver, Alpha Barry, who was 24 years old at the time, was delivering food on Victoria Drive. Barry said that his phone died so he went to Reilly’s house hoping to deliver the food and ask to charge his phone. The video shows Barry approaching the door and holding up the food order.
The video cuts out and the next part is in question. The defense argues that Reilly tried to help Barry by asking him where he was going and Barry didn’t say anything, possibly because he’s not fluent in English. They also said Barry asked to come inside.
The prosecution, led by Orange County Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Mangold, argued that Barry only asked Reilly if he had ordered the food and if he could charge his phone, but never asked to come inside. The prosecution pointed out he doesn’t like dogs and was scared of the dogs barking inside.
When the video resumes, it shows Barry back in his car 100-some feet away at the end of Reilly’s yard. Reilly comes out of his house with a gun holster on and a Glock .45 pistol in his hand. He fires a shot into the ground and yells “go” a few times. The video shows the driver is doing a K-turn to leave the driveway when Reilly first shoots and hits the car. The driver starts driving away, and then Reilly shoots again at the car. The shot hits Barry, and you can hear him yell in the video.
Barry testified that, after this, he went to a gas station to ask for help but left because he couldn’t understand what the man was saying. And he went home, because he said he thought he was dying.
And Reilly never called 911 during or after this, but he did call someone he knew in law enforcement.
Willard: And what are the charges that Reilly is facing?
Guerra: So today the jury is deliberating today on charges of two counts of assault in the 1st degree, attempted murder in the 2nd degree, and at least eight counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
Also, Reilly did not have a license or permit for the pistol he used that night, and police found several more guns in his house he did not have permits for.
(DA Press Release: It was learned by law enforcement that Reilly held a Federal Firearms License (FFL), which allowed him to sell firearms, but he did not have a New York State firearms license or pistol permit. Therefore, he could not lawfully possess those guns in the state. https://www.orangecountygov.com/m/NewsFlash/Home/Detail/2414)
Willard: So, can you tell us about any of the witnesses' testimony from this trial?
Guerra: So, the jury heard directly from the DoorDash driver, Alpha Barry, who testified with the help of a French translator. Barry maintained he didn’t realize his phone was low on battery and only asked to charge his, but not come inside.
We heard from John Reilly’s sister, who said they were raised to be respectful and empathetic, and her brother embodied those values.
We also heard from witnesses who spoke about Reilly’s character. The prosecution asked them how they felt to learn that, years ago, Reilly allegedly grabbed his wife by the throat when she was pregnant and had threatened to kill her and their children.
Willard: So, can you tell us about the final arguments of both sides?
Guerra: The defense lawyer, Thomas Kenniff, said the prosecution wants to paint Reilly as a gun-crazy nut who acted out of rage and was waiting to shoot an unarmed stranger.
But the defense emphasized that Reilly was very reasonably afraid for his family, even if he did overreact. They said Barry did not speak English well, and they say this probably contributed to Reilly’s fear when Barry couldn’t answer his questions. Reilly said he was more afraid than he had ever been in his life. His daughter was also in the house with him, and she told him, “Daddy, there’s a stranger at the door.”
The defense said he fired warning shots, and he didn’t mean to hit Barry.
The lawyer said, “If he did intend that shot, he must be a crack shooter to hit a target 115-140 feet away.”
The defense also dismissed the prosecution's assertion that Reilly had choked his pregnant wife and threatened his family. The defense attorney said it allegedly took place 10-15 years ago, that all couples go through rough patches, and that Reilly was never formally accused.
Orange County prosecutor Nicholas Mangold responded said, “bullets go where guns are aimed.”
In its summation, the prosecution replayed scenes from video that showed Reilly firing a warning shot, shooting at the car, and then changing his aim to hit Barry.
They said there was no evidence for Reilly to think that the driver who was driving away was trying to burglarize his home.
And they told witnesses to disregard John Reilly’s testimony entirely, because they said he lied. They said Riley lied, saying he never hurt anyone in his life, which was contradicted by their allegations of domestic violence.
They also said Reilly lied when he said he avoided shooting into the woods because he thought there might be people there, so instead he shot the car where there was a person.
And they asked why Reilly never called 911 if he was so afraid.
Willard: Elias, thank you for that update.
Guerra: Of course. Thanks for having me.
The jury will continue deliberations Wednesday.
