Five years after the murder of 36-year-old Joshua Poole in Auburn, 26-year-old Gage Ashley has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The sentencing took place on Thursday, April 4, as announced by Cayuga County District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci. Ashley was found guilty of Murder in the Second Degree, along with Attempted Robbery in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree for the 2019 crime.
The conviction comes after Ashley, along with accomplices, was involved in a planned robbery that led to Poole’s death, marking Auburn’s first homicide since 2013. The group, armed and prepared with masks from a Walmart purchase, attempted to destroy evidence following the crime. The jury delivered a guilty verdict within 30 minutes of deliberation on Friday, following a trial that highlighted the coordination and execution of the robbery and murder.
District Attorney Antonacci praised the verdict, highlighting the collaborative effort of law enforcement agencies in bringing justice to Joshua Poole’s murder. Ashley also received the maximum sentence for the robbery and weapon possession charges, to be served concurrently with the murder sentence, as mandated by law.
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