A New York woman, 33-year-old Ariela Thran, was sentenced for the brutal 2023 murder of her mother, Patricia “Allison” Halverson. At the time, Thran claimed that her mother’s death was caused by a horse.
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According to Cortland County District Attorney Patrick Perfetti, who shared the Cortland Standard newspaper, Thran was sentenced to 25-to-life in prison for her mother’s murder. It is the maximum penalty permitted by state law.
“No one deserves what happened to Allison,” Assistant District Attorney Van Donsel said. “We’re pleased by the court’s sentences as a reflection of the brutality of this crime.”
Following an 8-day trial, Ariela Thran was found guilty of second-degree murder in March 2025.
“Today’s verdict brought justice for Ms. Halverson, her grandchildren, family, and friends,” Assistant District Attorney Zachariah Zallo said the time. “It was a privilege to represent the People of Cortland County in prosecuting this matter.”
Halverson Found Dead
According to DA Perfetti, the incident occurred on January 3, 2024. Police responded to Halverson’s farm after a welfare check was requested. Upon arrival, responding officers found her deceased body near a “piece of farming equipment, exposed to the elements.”
No murder weapon was found. Therefore, authorities relied on digital evidence and its timing as compelling proof that Thran had murdered her mother around December 2023.
However, during the trial, Thran attempted to frame a horse for her mother’s death.
As reported by the Cortland Standard, Adam V. D’Agostino, an equestrian program director at Alfred University, testified on the defense’s behalf. The man testified that the horses were left loose on the property. He added that no “consistent industry practices” were used on the family farm.
While the man didn’t know the horses personally, having not visited the farm, he testified he believed horses could cause significant injuries to human beings.
However, a pathologist testifying for the prosecution said that Halverson’s injuries were not consistent with what a horse could potentially cause. The woman had suffered 16 cuts to the left side and back of her head, a forehead cut, and had a bruise on her left eyelid.
Still, another pathologist testified on the defense’s behalf. They said that the injuries could have been caused by a horse’s stomping, kicking, and trampling.
Despite being a circumstantial evidence case, a Cortland County Jury found Ariela Thran guilty of murdering her mother.