Monticello, NY - On June 23, 2026, Sullivan County District Attorney Brian P. Conaty announced that a Sullivan County jury returned a guilty verdict against Keymarroo Guiden, 53, of East Stroudsburg, PA, for Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A-II felony, stemming from the murder of his girlfriend, April Parker, in June of 2014 in the Village of Monticello.
In May of 2014, the Village of Monticello Police Department initiated a Missing Persons Investigation for April Parker, 31, of Monticello, shortly before turning the investigation over to the New York State Police. On June 10, 2014, the New York State Police discovered skeletal remains in the woods behind the Sleepy Hollow complex in Monticello, just 150 yards from where April Parker and Guiden had been living. Upon discovery of the skeletal remains, it was determined that the head, hands, and feet of the remains had been severed and disposed of and the investigation was converted into a Homicide investigation. Subsequent DNA analysis uncovered that the skeletal remains were that of April Parker. The New York State Police interviewed over 130 people in the investigation and secured thousands of pages of records eliminating every other possible suspect, identifying Guiden to the exclusion of all others. These interviews and records revealed that on May 9, 2014, the defendant, Guiden, left April’s apartment with her two children from a separate relationship and drove them down to New York City under the guise of visiting their father. On his way down to New York City, the defendant contacted Verizon Wireless and requested that April Parker’s telephone number be transferred to a Motorola Droid Razor in his possession. The father did not have any information that they were coming down to visit and the defendant used this as his alibi for his return to Monticello. Upon returning from New York City, the defendant falsely alleged that April had gone missing. The evidence showed that prior to Guiden leaving Monticello on the 9th he had already killed April Parker and disposed of her remains in the woods behind Sleepy Hollow. Immediately after switching the phone number and upon his return, the defendant used April Parker’s phone number to masquerade as April Parker and to make it appear as if she was alive. This permitted time and space between the police investigation into the defendant and the discovery of April’s remains. The digital evidence in this case also revealed that Guiden used April Parker’s Facebook account, posting photographs of April Parker, and communicating with her friends making it appear as if April was alive.
This conviction followed a twelve day trial that was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael J. Puma with the assistance of Executive Assistant District Attorney Jenna Hastings. Guiden is set to be sentenced on October 5, 2026, where he faces a maximum exposure of twenty-five years to life incarceration in state prison.
Conaty said: “This was the most gruesome and heinous murder committed in Sullivan County in decades. This defendant brutally stole the life of a loving mother, sister, daughter, and valued community member that was attempting to better her life and those of her children. This case culminated in years of committed investigative efforts by law enforcement to bring justice to April Parker and her family. This verdict rewards those who choose to do good in our society and reminds those that choose violence and death that we will never stop until you are brought to justice. I want to thank the jury for sacrificing time away from their lives to carefully listen to the evidence and for reaching a just verdict.”
