Man Admits Beating Father to Death Decades Ago After Bragging to Police About His ‘First Body’

A New Hampshire man could spend as many as 24 years behind bars after admitting he killed his father more than two decades ago.

Douglas Herlihy, now 40, pleaded guilty to killing Paul Herlihy when he was 17, the New Hampshire Department of Justice said.

Court records describe a troubled relationship between the father and son, including earlier violence and encounters with police before Paul Herlihy’s death.

Paul Herlihy, 50, was discovered on Aug. 27, 2003, after a relative requested a welfare check at his home.

Police entered the Milford, New Hampshire, residence through a window and were met by “hundreds of flies and the strong odor of decomposition,” according to court documents.

Investigators found Paul Herlihy’s body on the kitchen floor, wrapped in carpet and covered by a blue tarp. Blood stains were visible on the cabinets, refrigerator, walls and ceiling.

An autopsy ruled the death a homicide caused by blunt-force trauma sustained within the previous four days.

The medical examiner documented injuries to Paul Herlihy’s nose and jaw, skull fractures and damage to his voice box. Investigators concluded he had been struck repeatedly in the head.

Police also found bloodstained carpet and padding in the backyard, directly below Douglas Herlihy’s bedroom window. Investigators believed the materials had been pushed through the open window. DNA testing indicated the blood could have belonged to Paul Herlihy.

In Douglas Herlihy’s bedroom, a towel covered the door of a closet. When police removed it, they found a message written in large letters: “I WILL SEE YOU IN HELL,” an arrest affidavit states.

Despite the evidence, no suspect was identified at the time.

‘I beat my first body when I was 17’

In the years that followed, Douglas Herlihy had multiple encounters with law enforcement, including cases involving drugs and a stolen vehicle. During a 2020 arrest, he told an officer he expected the charges against him to be dismissed.

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“That’s what I do. I beat cases. I beat my first body when I was 17!” he said, according to the arrest affidavit.

The officer later said he understood the comment to mean Herlihy was claiming to have killed people in the past.

Even so, court records show that Douglas Herlihy repeatedly denied to relatives and others that he had any role in his father’s death.

When investigators questioned him about the case in 2010, he declined to speak and directed them to his attorney.

After a renewed investigation, authorities obtained an arrest warrant in June 2025. Herlihy was arrested soon afterward in Saugus, Massachusetts, and later extradited to New Hampshire.

He was initially charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of falsifying physical evidence before pleading guilty. The case could result in a prison sentence of up to 24 years.

He negotiated a plea agreement for 12 to 24 years in the New Hampshire State Prison on a manslaughter charge. The agreement also suspends for 20 years a potential sentence of 3 ½ to 7 years for attempting to falsify evidence.

“This case is a reminder that the pursuit of justice does not end with the passage of time,” said New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella.

“The New Hampshire Cold Case Unit and our law enforcement partners remain committed to pursuing answers and accountability, even decades after a crime. That work takes persistence, patience and a determination to follow the evidence wherever it leads. I commend the investigators and prosecutors whose continued efforts brought this case to an important resolution.”

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a date in early 2027.

The Herlihy family said they wanted to maintain their privacy and did not wish to speak with the media according to the New Hampshire Department of Justice Cold Case Unit.

Herlihy’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.