Hudson Valley Man Who Killed Alleged Child Rapist Gets Acquitted

A Hudson Valley man who was found guilty of killing an alleged child rapist was acquitted after his retrial.

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David Carlson of Sparrowbush was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter in November 2016.

He faced up to 25 years in jail but was sentenced in March of 2017 to five years in prison for killing Norris Acosta-Sanchez in 2013.

Acosta-Sanchez was wanted for allegedly raping an underage girl in Rockland County. Prior to learning about the rape allegations, Carlson befriended Acosta-Sanchez and let him stay at his home. Carlson said the shooting was done in self-defense after he learned about the alleged rape.

The day before the 2013 fatal shooting, Acosta-Sanchez was the subject of a police manhunt in the woods near Carlson’s home. Acosta Sanchez escaped police custody and hid in the woods.

When Carlson, a husband and father, learned Acosta-Sanchez was accused of raping a young Rockland girl he tried to turn him into police. That’s when Carlson claims Acosta-Sanchez attacked him.

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In August 2018, the Appellate Division, Second Department of state Supreme Court tossed the manslaughter verdict and ordered Carlson to receive a new trial in Orange County Court.

On Thursday, a jury acquitted him of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, CBS reports.