N.Y. woman found guilty of killing her mother and dumping body near farm equipment

CORTLAND COUNTY, N.Y. (TCN) — A 33-year-old woman has been convicted of killing her mother and leaving her body near farm equipment.

The Cortland County District Attorney’s Office announced March 7 that a jury found Ariela Thran guilty of second-degree murder in connection with the death of her mother, Patricia “Allison” Halverson. The defendant will be sentenced on May 6 and faces a minimum of 10 years to life and up to 25 years to life.

According to prosecutors, on Jan. 3, 2024, law enforcement responded to Halverson’s home to perform a welfare check and located her body near a piece of farming equipment, “exposed to the elements.”

Per WBNG-TV, prosecutor Richard Van Donsel argued that Thran went to her mother’s home on Dec. 27, 2023, and her children visited their grandmother. While there, Thran and Halverson reportedly got into an argument that turned physical. Halverson sustained 14 strikes to the back of her head during the altercation.

According to WBNG, Thran and her mother previously had a fight over an income rental property in Lacona, New York. Thran was allegedly receiving income for the property, but Halverson wanted to take control of the operations and revenue.

Thran’s attorney argued horses had killed Halverson by knocking her down, stomping, and trampling her.

Prosecutors said this was a “particularly challenging case, as no murder weapon was able to be recovered in the investigation.”

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