CONCORD, N.H. (TCN) — A 40-year-old man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and attempted falsification of physical evidence in connection with the beating death of his father in 2003.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Douglas Herlihy fatally beat his father, 50-year-old Paul Herlihy, in August 2003 when he was 17 years old.
According to WMUR, the teen and his father had difficulties in their relationship. Prosecutors say that after the two got into a physical argument, Douglas Herlihy grabbed a baseball bat from behind the front door and used it to fatally beat his father.
WNYW reports Paul Herlihy’s body was found after a relative called to request a welfare check on Aug. 27, 2003. He was wrapped in carpet and a tarp on the kitchen floor, and there were hundreds of flies and a strong decomposition odor, according to court documents obtained by the outlet. Inside Douglas Herlihy’s closet door, investigators found graffiti that read, “I will see you in hell.”
The case went cold for decades. According to WMUR, when he was arrested in 2020 on unrelated charges, Douglas Herlihy allegedly told police he knew the charges would be dismissed. He allegedly said, “That’s what I do. I beat cases. I beat my first body when I was 17!”
A probable cause affidavit says law enforcement had responded to the family’s home between 2001 and 2003 multiple times to help resolve disputes between the father and son, People reports. He allegedly told a friend that the next time his father hit him would be the last.
Herlihy was arrested in Massachusetts in 2025 after police arranged a recorded phone call between him and his brother, according to People. He was extradited to New Hampshire to face charges.
On Oct. 21, Herlihy pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter and one count of attempted falsification of physical evidence. According to the DOJ, he faces 12 to 24 years behind bars for the manslaughter charge and 3 1/2 to seven years for the falsifying evidence charge, which will be fully suspended for a period of 20 years. The alternative count of second-degree murder will be dismissed as part of his plea agreement.
Attorney General John M. Formella said, “This case is a reminder that the pursuit of justice does not end with the passage of time.” A sentencing hearing is scheduled for early 2027, according to People.
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