By Jeanne Sager
CALLICOON — May 10, 2002 – At 19 years old, Ronald Caruso will never again see the light of day as a free man.
The Callicoon resident was sentenced Monday to life without parole on two counts of murder in the first degree in the August 2001 shooting death of his step-uncle, Gary Kays.
Caruso will be serving additional time for the other counts handed down by a jury March 21, including two counts of first-degree burglary, one count of criminal use of a firearm in the first degree, two counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree, and one count each of third-degree burglary and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.
Kays, a Hortonville firefighter, returned to his Beechwoods home August 28, 2001 only to find an armed Caruso, who was AWOL from his position in the Army in Fort Riley, Kan.
Before dying at his home, Kays identified to 911 operators his step-nephew as the man who shot him two times.
The youth, 18 at the time of the incident, then fled up north in Kays’ father’s car where he allegedly killed a young Canadian man near Plattsburgh.
Caruso will be facing charges in Essex County for that homicide.