More than four years after Romero K. Underwood was found shot dead in the entryway to his St. James Street apartment, one of the men authorities believe killed him is headed to prison for the crime. Raymond Snyder, 41, was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree burglary on Friday following an eight-day trial in Ulster County Court. The verdict could mark the end of a years-long legal odyssey that laid bare conflicts between the District Attorney’s Office and a county court judge — and the chaos that gripped the criminal justice system amid COVID lockdowns and major changes to state law.

Around 5 a.m. on July 11, 2020, police believe Snyder, accompanied by friend and fellow alleged drug dealer Callin Lemon, went to Underwood’s home at 52-54 East St. James St. intent on robbing Underwood of some high-quality crack cocaine he had picked up in Schenectady the day before. A struggle in the entryway to the apartment left Snyder bleeding from an injury to his hand and Underwood dead from a gunshot wound to the back.

Police quickly zeroed in on the two men, based on video evidence that showed a rental car used by both leaving the scene of the crime. The case against Snyder was bolstered by DNA evidence from bloodstains found in the entryway to Underwood’s apartment, inside the rental car and on a wall in Lemon’s nearby residence. In the basement of Lemon’s home, cops also found a gym bag with two guns one of which bore DNA from both Snyder and Underwood suggesting that the weapon was used to pistol-whip the dead man during the melee. (Lemon was acquitted of all charges in the case following a May 2023 trial).

But the seemingly solid case against Snyder ran headlong into a confluence of events that virtually paralyzed the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of Snyder’s arrest in January 2021, then-DA Dave Clegg had just taken office after a long career as a civil litigator at the same time new discovery rules greatly compressed the timelines on which prosecutors must turn over evidence to the defense. Meanwhile, the impact of COVID restrictions rippled through the criminal justice system affecting everything from the ability of the New York State Police crime lab to process evidence to the ability of prosecutors to present cases to aa grand jury. This combination of factors spurred an exodus of experienced prosecutors from the office, adding to the disruption as cases, including Snyder’s, were passed from one prosecutor to another, sometimes multiple times. (By the time then-Chief ADA Emmanuel Nneji took on the case in the spring of 2022, he was the third prosecutor to handle it.)

The first bump in Snyder's long road to conviction came in April 2021 when County Court Judge Bryan Rounds ordered Snyder released from pre-trial detention because prosecutors had failed to obtain an indictment within the timeframe specified by law. Snyder was free for a few days before an indictment was secured and he was returned to jail. Then, during a series of pre-trial hearings in April 2022, Rounds eviscerated the prosecution’s case precluding virtually all evidence and expert witnesses based on “numerous and severe” violations of discovery rules.

Snyder’s first trial ended in a bizarre scene after Nneji boycotted the proceedings, arguing that it would be unethical to take the case to trial absent virtually any evidence against the defendant. Rounds then went through the motions of calling for opening arguments, witnesses and closing arguments before granting a defense motion to dismiss the charges based on insufficient evidence. Snyder was again set free.

Following the trial, Nneji, with Clegg’s blessing, took the unusual step of filing an Article 78 petition challenging Rounds’ dismissal of the case. The appeal was successful, setting the stage for a second trial before visiting Sullivan County Court Judge James Farrell. who allowed prosecutors to present most of the evidence that Rounds had precluded. This time, the jury found Snyder guilty on all counts.

“A jury of three men and nine women spoke clearly and unequivocally this afternoon, individually and collectively, in vindication of justice,” said Nneji, now DA, who presented the case. “The unique challenges and unpleasant saga in the community about this case in Ulster County Court ended with the jury’s verdict today.”

The conviction may not be the end of Snyder’s saga, though. Defense attorney Dutchess County Conflict Defender Bradford White told media that he intends to appeal Farrell’s evidentiary rulings. If the appeal is successful, the conviction could be overturned. Meanwhile, Snyder, whose extensive criminal history includes prior prison stints for robbery and drug possession, is set to be sentenced on Jan. 10. He faces a maximum of 25 years to life in state prison.