Man pleads guilty in 2003 murder of his father in NH

A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty to the 2003 murder of his father, officials announced Wednesday.

Douglas Herlihy, 40, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and attempted falsification of physical evidence, according the New Hampshire Attorney General. Herlihy was initially charged with second-degree murder, but the charge was lessened in a plea deal.

Between August 23 and 24, 2003, Herlihy, who was 17 at the time, beat his father, Paul Herlihy, 50, to death in Milford, New Hampshire, the AG said. An autopsy found that he died of blunt force trauma.

Herlihy was detained by police after his father’s death but was not an initial suspect. He was arrested in Saugus, Massachusetts in June 2025 after New Hampshire authorities alerted Massachusetts police that they wanted to question him about his father’s death.

The Attorney General’s Office did not share what led to Herlihy’s arrest more than two decades after the homicide occurred.

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

Under the plea agreement Herlihy will receive a sentence of 12 to 14 yearsfor manslaughter. He will be eligible for a one-year reduction to his minimum sentence if he completes a program for addiction or mental health rehabilitation while in custody, the AG said.

The plea agreement for the charge of attempted falsification of physical evidence comes with a suspended sentence of three and a half to seven years. He will be sentenced in early 2027, the AG said.

Attorney information for Herlihy was not publicly listed Wednesday night.