CORTLAND, NY (607NewsNow) – An Oswego County woman is headed to prison for the murder of her mother in Cortland County.

On July 15, 33-year-old Ariela Thran, of Fulton, was sentenced to 25 years to life for the December 2023 killing of Patricia Halverson, of Solon. Halverson’s body was discovered outside her home on January 3, 2024. Prosecutors say the 62-year-old died from blunt force trauma.

Thran pleaded not guilty in February. There was no murder weapon, and in some cases, expert testimony was conflicting. Thran was convicted of second-degree murder by a jury in March.

According to the Cortland County District Attorney’s Office, the investigation spanned three states and several counties in Central New York, and “among the most compelling proof was digital evidence in this case supporting a compelling timeline.”

District Attorney Patrick Perfetti stated his office is satisfied with the maximum sentence.

“Today’s sentence is proportional to the extreme nature of how Ms. Halverson was killed,” said Perfetti. “I applaud the work of Assistant District Attorneys Richard Van Donsel and Zachariah Zallo for their work in presenting this case. This case was challenging, due to no murder weapon being recovered; however, ADAs Van Donsel and Zallo demonstrated that all the other evidence reconciled itself to the conclusion of the defendant’s guilt. This fully supports the jury’s verdict and the Court’s sentence.”

Perfetti acknowledged Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho for his assistance in securing the virtual testimony of a “key witness” in California, who was unable to travel for medical reasons.