Son arrested two decades after dad found decomposing in NH home, officials say
A son has been arrested in his father’s decades-old slaying in New Hampshire, officials said.
Authorities issued a warrant June 16 charging 39-year-old Douglas Herlihy with murder in the second degree in the 2003 killing of his dad, Paul Herlihy, the New Hampshire Department of Justice said in a news release.
Douglas Herlihy was arrested on the warrant in Massachusetts and “charged with being a fugitive from justice,” officials said.
He’s expected to be arraigned in Massachusetts, with New Hampshire extradition proceedings to follow, according to officials.
McClatchy News couldn’t immediately find defense attorney information for Douglas Herlihy on June 18.
His arrest came after “a collaborative effort involving the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit working with the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit,” officials said. They didn’t provide more details on what led to his arrest.
Douglas Herlihy was 17 when his father was killed, WMUR 9 reported. At the time, investigators “were emphatic that Herlihy’s son was not” a suspect, the news outlet reported.
Paul Herlihy’s body was found Aug. 27, 2003 in his Milford home in a welfare check by police, according to officials, who said his remains were decomposing.
It’s believed the 50-year-old died from blunt force trauma between Aug. 23 and Aug. 27, 2003, officials said.
Milford is about a 35-mile drive south from Concord.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Son arrested two decades after dad found decomposing in NH home, officials say."
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