Sentencing postponed for Joseph M. Howell; Howell was first of 13 defendants convicted by a jury in the gruesome abduction, torture, and murder of Thomas Rath

By Wendy Post —

TIOGA COUNTY, N.Y. — On Jan. 13, 2025, Joseph M. Howell, of Newfield, N.Y., appeared in the Tioga County Courthouse in Owego, N.Y. for sentencing on murder and kidnapping charges related to the death of 34-year-old Thomas Rath. The 34-year-old was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in May of 2023, his body found in a shallow grave off of Ekroos Road in Candor, N.Y.

Howell was found guilty on Oct. 24, 2024 of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and three counts of intimidating a witness in the abduction, torture, and murder of Rath, a resident at Ithaca’s homeless encampment. 

On Monday, Jan. 13, Howell returned for sentencing, but after defense and prosecuting attorneys conferred in chambers, the Court’s Judge, Honorable Adam Schumacher, stated that the sentencing would be delayed until Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at 1:15 p.m. at the Tioga County Courthouse. The court did not disclose the reason for the delay.

Upon sentencing, the maximum sentence for first-degree murder is life without parole. For the kidnapping charge, Joseph Howell could receive anywhere from 25 years to life, but this is likely to run concurrently with the murder sentence.

For the charges of intimidating a witness, which can be consecutive to the murder sentence, Joseph Howell could face two to four years on each of those charges.

Joseph Howell was the first of 13 defendants convicted by a jury in the gruesome act. Many individuals have entered cooperation agreements in exchange for providing testimony and receiving reduced charges. Like Colleen Dillon, a key witness in the trials.

Angelo Baez was found guilty on Dec. 12, 2024 of first- and second-degree murder charges, and first-degree kidnapping, and will be sentenced on Feb. 28, at 1:30 p.m. at the Tioga County Courthouse in Owego, N.Y.

Upcoming trials in Tioga County related to the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Thomas Rath include that of Jonathan Glennon, who is facing the same charges as Howell and Baez. Glennon was in the truck when Thomas Rath was driven to his death on Ekroos Road in Candor, N.Y. The trial is expected to take place in March.

Also coming up is the trial for Kysha S. Radcliff, of Lansing, N.Y. Radcliff has been charged with Kidnapping in the First Degree and will stand trial in Tioga County, N.Y. in February.