Ariela Thran, a 33-year-old woman from Fulton, New York, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the murder of her mother, Patricia Halverson, whose body was found in December 2023 on her Solon property. Thran attempted to blame the death on horses, even enlisting an equestrian expert to testify that horses could cause fatal harm if they chose to. The defense argued that the horses roamed freely on the property without fencing, suggesting they could have caused the injuries. However, a pathologist testified that Halverson’s injuries were inconsistent with those caused by horses.

Despite the lack of a recovered murder weapon, the prosecution presented strong circumstantial and digital evidence pointing to Thran’s guilt. Cortland County District Attorney Patrick Perfetti described the case as challenging but emphasized that the evidence clearly implicated Thran. Lead prosecutor Richard Van Donsel called the case a tragic family breakdown, underscoring the emotional weight behind the conviction.