Corrections Officer Sentenced For Murdering Ex-Wife In Driveway Of Her Home
Terrie DeGelormo's mother found her body in the snow-covered driveway while her 1-year-old son was in the house.
An ex-corrections sergeant in New York has been sentenced to 25 years to life after being convicted of second-degree murder for his former wife’s 2018 stabbing death.
Timothy Alexander was found guilty last April for murdering his wife, Terrie DeGelormo, 34, on Nov. 15, 2018, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal. That day, the victim’s mother found DeGelormo on the snow-covered driveway of her Wappinger, New York home.
Alexander “brutally” murdered DeGelormo as she shoveled snow in her driveway during a blizzard, according to the District Attorney’s news release.
An autopsy showed DeGelormo was stabbed 43 times and cut an additional 13 times, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal. Her and Alexander’s son, Ryan, 1, was asleep inside the house at the time of the murder.
Kristine Whelan, Bureau Chief of the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office Victims Unit, spoke at last Monday’s sentencing.
“Terrie’s mother will forever live with the memory of finding her daughter’s lifeless, brutalized body, in her driveway,” Whelan said at the Dutchess County Courthouse, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal. “As if the loss of a child is not profound enough, this adds an unquantifiable level of trauma and grief to her loss.”
DeGelormo’s mother, Emma Smith, felt a sense of relief after the sentencing.
“I’m glad justice was served,” said Smith. “It’s not going to bring back my daughter. But at least now, I’m glad he lost everything he stole from my daughter and Ryan.”
DeGelormo’s sister, Malorie DeGelormo, said DeGelormo and Alexander began dating while DeGelormo was still a teenager, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal. The couple married in 2008 but separated shortly after the death of their young daughter, who succumbed to liver failure only weeks before her 3rd birthday.
Alexander and DeGelormo officially divorced in 2017, one year before her murder.
The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office said Alexander was terminated from his job in May of 2019, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.
DeGelormo had previously worked at the same location before resigning to find employment at the Dutchess Community College, according to Mid Hudson News.
Alexander’s defense attorney, Anthony DeFazio, said his client had since remarried and fathered two children, according to the journal. He also stated that Alexander’s new wife and family supported him throughout the trial.
“We believe there were many errors made during the trial and pre-trial, and we intend to appeal,” DeFazio said after the verdict was decided in April.
DeFazio said that he would not be a part of the appeals process moving forward, but plans to debrief Alexander’s future appeals lawyer.