Monticello, NY - On May 15, 2026, Sullivan County District Attorney Brian P. Conaty announced that Drew Botsford, 49, of Neversink, was sentenced to 25 years’ to life incarceration in state prison by Sullivan County Court Judge James R. Farrell upon his conviction for Murder in the Second Degree, a Class A-I Felony, for the intentional killing of his own father.
Botsford’s conviction followed a five-day jury trial during which it was established that on October 8, 2023, at approximately 6:00 p.m., at 39 Bradley Road, Liberty, in the Town of Neversink, the defendant got into an argument with his father, Lloyd Botsford, 71. Immediately after the argument with his father, the defendant grabbed a .22 rifle from his father’s bedroom closet, loaded one .22 caliber round in the chamber that he had located in his father’s top drawer, walked down the hallway in the residence, squatted down by the bathroom door, aimed and pulled the trigger. The defendant fired one shot striking his father Lloyd Botsford directly in the head. Lloyd was seated on the love seat in the living room while watching football at the time that the defendant shot him. Members of the defendant’s family found Lloyd Botsford laying on the couch and contacted emergency service personnel who responded to the scene and administered life saving measures, unfortunately, to no avail.
This case was prosecuted at trial by Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael J. Puma while the defendant was represented by the Executive Director of the Sullivan County Legal Aid Society, Tim Havas, Esq.
Conaty said: “This was a shocking and deeply disturbing act of violence in which a son intentionally took the life of the man who raised him. No parent should ever have to fear harm at the hands of their own child, and no family should have to endure this kind of unimaginable tragedy. Today’s sentence ensures that this defendant will spend the remainder of his life paying the price for this senseless and irreversible act. I commend the investigators, prosecutors, and support staff whose tireless efforts secured justice for the victim in this case. Their professionalism and dedication ensured that the defendant was held fully accountable for his horrific crime.”
