Douglas Herlihy, 40, pleaded guilty Oct. 26 to the 2003 killing of his father, Paul Herlihy, the New Hampshire Department of Justice said Monday. Prosecutors said he admitted to striking his father in the head when he was 17; under the plea he faces a possible prison term of up to 24 years.
evidence and discovery
Authorities said Paul Herlihy, 50, was found Aug. 27, 2003, in the Milford home during a welfare check requested by a relative. Court records detail a scene of decomposition in the residence; officers reported “hundreds of flies and the strong odor of decomposition” on arrival, and the body was discovered on the kitchen floor wrapped in carpet and covered with a tarp.
Investigators recorded blunt‑force injuries to the head, including fractures to the skull and damage to the voice box, and concluded the death was a homicide occurring within days of discovery. Police found blood spatters on cabinets, the refrigerator, walls and the ceiling, and blood‑stained carpet padding in the backyard outside the younger Herlihy’s bedroom, the affidavit says.
“I beat my first body when I was 17”
The affidavit included an account that investigators found large handwriting on a closet door inside Douglas Herlihy’s bedroom, covered initially by a towel; when the towel was removed the door bore the message, “I WILL SEE YOU IN HELL,” according to the arrest records cited by prosecutors. Authorities say Herlihy later told officers he had earlier boasted, “I beat my first body when I was 17.”
forensic leads and arrest
The case remained unsolved for years. Prosecutors said DNA testing later linked blood on carpet and padding to Paul Herlihy, and investigators developed additional leads that ultimately resulted in charges and the recent guilty plea. The New Hampshire Department of Justice provided the account of the evidence and the plea.
- Victim: Paul Herlihy, 50, found Aug. 27, 2003, in Milford
- Defendant: Douglas Herlihy, now 40; was 17 at the time of the killing
- Charge and stage: Guilty plea entered Oct. 26; faces up to 24 years in prison
The plea resolves the long‑running investigation but does not, in the Department of Justice’s account, specify the date for sentencing. The case file includes the autopsy findings and forensic testing reports cited by prosecutors in court papers. The department made the guilty plea and the maximum sentence exposure public in its announcement Monday.
Under New Hampshire law, sentencing in homicide cases follows disposition of a plea or a conviction at trial; the court will set a sentencing date and consider any presentence reports, victim statements and mitigating or aggravating factors before imposing a term within the statutory range.
The matter was handled by state prosecutors; the Department of Justice provided the summary of the arrest affidavit, forensic findings and the defendant’s admissions. Court records and the department’s release supply the facts in this account.
