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A New York man pleaded guilty to murdering and dismembering his ex-girlfriend and putting her severed head in a suitcase with a flower after she ended their relationship, later telling investigators she had "played me like a sucker," according to authorities.
Damon Foy, 50, of Kerhonkson, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder in the 2024 death of Alberta Dale, 44, of Pennsylvania, according to the Ulster County District Attorney's Office.
Between March 31 and April 1, 2024, Foy killed and dismembered Dale and was in the process of disposing of her body when law enforcement intervened, according to the district attorney's office.
The Ulster County Sheriff's Office began investigating on April 1, 2024, after Dale's family members in Pennsylvania contacted law enforcement because they were concerned about her well-being, the district attorney's office said. Deputies first conducted a welfare check before launching a missing person investigation.
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Deputies first went to Foy’s apartment on April 1, 2024, and found Dale’s car, according to the New York Post. The next day, deputies returned to question Foy after a member of the public found Dale’s phone on the side of the road and turned it in to authorities, leading investigators to suspect potential foul play.
"She’s in there," Foy whispered to investigators, when they arrived at his home during the missing person investigation. "I killed her," he added, according to court documents cited by the New York Post.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for Foy's home and found a suitcase in a closet that contained the victim's remains. Foy was then arrested and charged in connection with Dale's death.
After shining a flashlight on the suitcase, investigators "immediately noticed what appeared to be dried blood," according to the documents.
"Officers opened the defendant’s suitcase and found Alberta Dale’s partial dismembered remains, including her severed head," the court documents read, according to the New York Post.
"The remaining portions of her dismembered body were not located during the execution of the search warrant," the documents add.
When he was later interviewed, Foy told investigators he "loved her," according to the documents.
"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," he said.
"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," he added.
When asked about the flower in the suitcase, Foy only said he was thinking about "what still happened last night to take s— over the top."
Foy had a history of domestic violence against Dale, according to court documents cited by the New York Post.
A previous domestic incident involved a gun, and investigators had also observed an axe at Foy’s property when they were searching for Dale.
Dale had previously warned authorities that "if she went missing it was because [Foy] killed her," according to the court documents.
Under a plea agreement, Foy is expected to receive 23 years to life behind bars, with a minimum term two years shorter than the maximum of 25 years to life, according to the Daily Freeman.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Liz Culmone-Mills told the outlet that the agreement was backed by Dale’s family.
"The District Attorney’s Office would not be making this recommendation were it not for Alberta Dale’s family," Culmone-Mills told the outlet.
Foy is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16.
"The total selfish disregard for the life and dignity of another person is at the heart of domestic violence; Damon Foy has shown that to us," District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji said in a statement. "We must recognize in our laws the rights of victims of domestic violence to be physically, psychologically, and emotionally safe from their tormentors and the dangers specifically targeted for them, and demand procedures that actually protect victims for real, not just on paper."
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