Thran Found Guilty of Murdering Her Mother in County Court

On Friday, March 7th, Cortland County District Attorney Patrick Perfetti announced 33 year old Ariela Thran of Fulton, was found guilty of murdering her mother, Patricia “Allison” Halverson. Thran’s conviction came after an eight day trial. She was convicted of the charge Murder in the 2nd Degree.

“My Office is gratified by today’s jury verdict. Though nothing will bring back Ms. Halverson, the outcome of this trial demonstrates that our system of justice works,” said D.A. Perfetti. “I applaud the work of Assistant District Attorneys (ADA) Richard Van Donsel and Zachariah Zallo for their work in presenting a clear and concise case. I also wish to thank Sacramento County, California, District Attorney, Thien Ho, for the assistance of his Office in securing the testimony of a key witness who was permitted to testify virtually, due to the inability to travel for medical reasons.”

It was back on January 3rd last year when State Police were dispatched to 4425 Wildman Road in the Town of Solon for a welfare check of Patricia “Allison” Halverson. On arrival at the address, Troopers found Allison dead near farming equipment and exposed to the elements. The case was investigated by the State Police Troop “C” Major Crimes Unit.

Thran would be arrested three days later, January 6th, on the charge of Murder in the 2nd Degree, a Felony. According to District Attorney Perfetti, the investigation spanned over 3 states and several counties in New York. Perfetti says all evidence reconciled itself to Thran. He added it was a challenging case as no murder weapon was recovered and highlighted the significance of digital evidence and the timing of it.

Thran will be sentenced on May 6th by the Honorable Cortland County Judge David C. Alexander. She is facing a minimum of 10 years to life and a maximum sentence of 25 years to life.

“This was a sad case, the breakdown of a family like this is tragic; through the hard, relentless, work of the State Police, our team was able to bring closure to the friends and neighbors of Allison who loved her dearly.” Assistant District Attorney, Van Donsel, said in a release.