Damon Foy, 50, pleaded guilty to murder Wednesday for the dismemberment killing of girlfriend Alberta Dale, 44, in Kerhonkson, New York.
Foy, of Kerhonkson, admitted in court to killing Dale between March 31 and April 1, 2024, after prosecutors detailed his gruesome disposal of her body and the bizarre discovery inside his closet. The Pennsylvania woman had been reported missing, and police quickly zeroed in on Foy despite an active order of protection requiring him to stay away from her.
When officers first arrived at Foy’s apartment on April 1, they found Dale’s empty car parked there. The next day, investigators returned after her phone was discovered discarded on the side of the road. Foy whispered to them upon their arrival, according to court documents: “She’s in there, I killed her.”
During an April 3, 2024 police interview, Foy attempted to explain his motive for the killing. “I loved her,” he told cops, according to court documents obtained by The Post.
“The only thing she kept doing after the time throughout the whole relationship was just play me, play me like a fool, play me like a sucker, and just took advantage of the whole f—king system.
“That’s it. I was told to leave my own home. I was told to leave my own f–king home, not a bill in her name, and I was told to leave my own f–king home. Get out. Then it all started coming clearer to me.”
Foy had a documented history of domestic violence toward Dale. Court records show she had previously told authorities that “if she went missing it was because [Foy] killed her.” A prior domestic incident between the pair had involved a gun, and officers conducting the search for Dale also observed an axe at Foy’s property.
The suitcase containing Dale’s remains was located in a closet during the search. Foy refused to let officers open it, forcing investigators to obtain a warrant at the scene. When police illuminated it with a flashlight, they “immediately noticed what appeared to be dried blood” on it, according to court documents.
“Officers opened the defendant’s suitcase and found Alberta Dale’s partial dismembered remains, including her severed head,” the court filings stated. “The remaining portions of her dismembered body were not located during the execution of the search warrant.”
Among the disturbing details, investigators found a flower placed inside the suitcase with Dale’s head. When questioned about it, Foy offered no direct explanation, only saying that he was thinking about “what still happened last night to take s––– over the top.”
Under the plea agreement, Foy is expected to receive 23 years to life in state prison, two years below the maximum sentence of 25 years to life, according to the Daily Freeman.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Liz Culmone-Mills told the outlet that the reduced sentence recommendation came with the backing of Dale’s family. “The District Attorney’s Office would not be making this recommendation were it not for Alberta Dale’s family,” Culmone-Mills said.
Foy is expected to be formally sentenced in Ulster County in the coming weeks.