Sullivan County Man Sentenced to 40 Years to Life for Attempted Murder of Deputy

A Sullivan County man has been sentenced to 40 years to life in state prison after being convicted of attempting to kill a police officer during a 2025 shooting, prosecutors said Thursday.

Sullivan County District Attorney Brian P. Conaty announced that Markell Jarrette, 30, of Monticello, was sentenced by James R. Farrell in Sullivan County Court following his conviction on multiple felony charges, including attempted murder in the first and second degrees.

Prosecutors said the convictions stem from an April 10, 2025, incident in which Jarrette attempted to kill Sullivan County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Foertsch by pointing a loaded, illegal firearm at close range and firing multiple times. Foertsch had been responding to a larceny complaint when the encounter occurred.

Authorities said Foertsch was not struck by the gunfire and sustained only minor injuries.

Jarrette was convicted following an eight-day jury trial that included testimony from 24 witnesses and more than 50 pieces of evidence. Prosecutors said the evidence included surveillance footage, police radio transmissions, firearms, shell casings, a projectile, DNA evidence linking Jarrette to the weapon, and ballistics analysis connecting the recovered casings and projectile to the firearm.

In remarks following the sentencing, Conaty condemned the attack on law enforcement, saying, “This society and this community will never stand for an attack on a member of law enforcement.”

The case was prosecuted by Conaty with assistance from Assistant District Attorney James McGlashin. He also thanked law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation and those present at the sentencing.

Image: Sullivan County Courthouse in Monticello, NY. (Creative Commons License)